LI BRARY OF CONGRESS. 
^UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.^ 



MINISTER'S 

POCKET RITUAL; 



A HAND-BOOK OF 



SCRIPTURE LESSONS AND FORMS OF SERVICE, 

FOR 

MARRIAGES, BAPTISMS, CONFIRMATIONS, RECEIVING 
CANDIDATES INTO THE CHURCH, THE LORD'S SUP- 
PER, THE VISITATION OF THE SICK, THE 
BURIAL OF THE DEAD, THE LAYING 
OF CORNER-STONES, DEDICATIONS, 
ORDINATIONS, INSTALLA- 
TIONS; ETC.: 

TOGETHER WITH 

SUGGESTIONS TO YOUNG MINISTERS 

UPON THE 

BEST MODE OF CONDUCTING 

THESE VARIOUS SERVICES. 
Adapted to Use by all Denominations. 



REV. HIRAM MATTISON, A. M., 

AUTHOR OF " DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY," " IMMORTALITY OF THE 
SOUL," " RESURRECTION OF THE BODY," AND VARIOUS 
ASTRONOMICAL AND MUSICAL WORKS. 



PHILADELPHIA : 
PERKINPINE & HIGGINS, 

No. 56 NORTH FOURTH STREET. 

1864. 



3> 



A 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 

HIRAM MATTISON, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District 
of Pennsylvania. 



WESTCOTT & THOMSON, STEREOTYPERS. 
C. SHERMAN, SON & CO., PRINTERS. 



PREFACE. 



3 

3 



In the discharge of his pastoral duties, the author of this 
work has often felt the need of something of the kind, es- 
pecially in visiting the sick and upon funeral occasions. At 
one time a very large Bible would be placed before him upon a 
low stand, compelling him either to lean over to read from it, or 
to hold it up before him, however unwieldy. In other cases 
a small pocket-bible would be furnished, the fine print of 
which it was next to impossible to read in the dim light of 
the room. And even if a suitable book was furnished from 
which to read, time was often lost in looking up what was 
wanted, especially where it was desirable to read a variety of 
passages from different parts of the Bible. 

So, also, in visiting the sick : we have often wished to read 
the Scriptures, and have not had a suitable copy at hand from 
which to read. And, above all, we have often wished to read 
or quote select passages, suited to various moral states, but 
have not been prepared to cite them correctly, or to look them 
up without delay or embarrassment. 

To meet these necessities in his own case, the writer extem- 
porized a " Pastor's Manual " of his own, by pasting a variety 
of Scripture lessons and select passages cut from a pica Bible, 
into a small book which he could carry in a side-pocket. This 
he used for years ; and so great was the utility of this imper- 
fect compilation in his own case, as to lead to the preparation 
of the more complete manual now presented to the pubiic. 

It is a prime object of the following pages, therefore, to 
furnish, among other things, a large variety of Scripture lessons, 
adapted to various occasions, printed in large type, and yet so 
portable as to be easily carried in the side-pocket whenever 
wanted. 

3 



4 



PREFACE. 



Again : the great variety of tastes in those who employ us, 
and the diversity of circumstances under which we officiate, 
call for great variety in our administration. For instance, 
one couple about to be married wish the full " Episcopal " 
service, and the administrator may not have it at hand ; or, 
if he has, it may be in a stout "prayer-book," or in very fine 
print. Others will desire a medium service, as to length, but 
with the " ring " brought into it ; while others will desire a 
medium service without the " ring," or a very brief service. 

And so in regard to Baptism and the Lord's Supper : in 
some instances there will be plenty of time, and a somewhat 
full and formal service will be desirable. In other cases, 
either for want of time, or for other reasons, it is important 
that the service be brief, though at the same time appropriate. 
And so in regard to the visitation of the sick, and the burial 
of the dead : services need to be varied as circumstances are 
varied. 

Unless, therefore, one is willing to trust wholly to extem- 
pore services, or to confine himself to one stereotyped form 
for all occasions, irrespective of circumstances and of special 
requests, the village or city pastor especially often feels the 
need of a convenient manual, containing a good variety of 
Scripture selections and forms of service, in order that he may 
adapt his labors to the various circumstances under which he 
is called to officiate. And say what we will of other gifts, 
adaptation is a prime element of ministerial success. 

It is the design of this manual to supply all these wants. 
A glance at the table of contents will show its scope and com- 
pleteness, and the convenient form and splendid type speak 
fur themselves. And while the author has not the vanity to 
suppose the work to be without defects, or beyond improve- 
ment, he is frank to avow his belief that it is better adapted 
to the wants of pastors, -all things considered, than any work 
of the kind that has heretofore appeared. If this is not the 
verdict of the ministry generally, both author and publishers 
will be greatly disappointed. 

New Yoek, April 8, 1864. 



CONTENTS. 



PART FIRST. 

SCRIPTURE LESSONS AND FORMS OF SERVICE FOR VARIOUS 
OCCASIONS. 



CHAPTER I. page 

Marriage Services 7 

I. The full Marriage Service, [Protestant Episcopal,] 7 

II. An Abridged Service, with the Ring 11 

III. An Abridged Service, without the Ring 13 

IV. A Brief Service with a Scripture Lesson, and without the 

Ring 15 

V. A very Brief Service, without the Ring or Scripture Lessons. 19 

CHAPTER II. 

Forms of Service for Baptisms 21 

I. A Full Service for the Baptism of Children 21 

II. A New and Concise Service for the Baptism of Children... 24 

III. A Service for the Consecration of Children without Baptism. 27 

IV. A Full Service for the Baptism of Adults 32 

V. A New and Brief Service for the Baptism of Adults 36 

CHAPTER III. 

Service for the Confirmation of Persons Baptized in 

Infancy 40 

CHAPTER IV. 

Formula for the Public Reception of Candidates into 

the Church 44 

CHAPTER V. 

The Lord's Supper 47 

I. A Full Service for the Lord's Supper 47 

II. A New Communion Service, with Scripture Lessons, Sing- 
ing and Prayer 52 

III. A Short Service for Communion with the Sick 56 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Visitation of the Sick 60 

I. Appropriate Scripture Lessons 60 

II. Select Scriptures adapted to various Moral States and Ne- 
cessities 66 

III. Forms of Prayer for the Sick and Dying 79 

1 * 5 



6 



CONTEXTS. 



CHAPTER VIL 

PAGS 



Scripture Lessons, appropriate for Funeral Occasions. 83 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Burial Services 99 

I. Service for the Burial of a Child 99 

II. A Second Service for the Burial of a Child 102 

III. For a Sudden Death, or the funeral of a Young Person. 105 

IV. For an Ordinary Funeral 107 

V. For the funeral of an Aged Person 110 

VI. For the funeral of a Middle-aged Christian 112 

VII. For the funeral of an Aged Christian 115 

VIII. Death, Resurrection, and Judgment 119 

IX. The full " Episcopal" Burial Service 122 

CHAPTER IX. 

Service for the Laying of the Corner-Stone of a Church. 127 
CHAPTER X. 

Service for the Dedication of a Church 131 

CHAPTER XL 

Service for the Ordination of a Minister 135 

CHAPTER XIX 

Service for the Installation of a Minister , 144 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Benedictions ,.. 147 



PART SECOND. 

SUGGESTIONS TO YOUNG MINISTERS IX REGARD TO MARRIAGES, 
BAPTISMS, THE VISITATION OF THE SICK, FUNERALS, &c. 



CHAPTER I. 

Laws respecting Marriage. ..... , 149 

CHAPTER II. 

Suggestions as to the performance of Marriage Cere- 
monies 153 

CHAPTER III. 

Suggestions and Observations upon the Visitation of 

the Sick 158 

CHAPTER IV. 
Of Burial Services, and the best mode of conducting 

THEM 162 



THE MINISTER'S POCKET RITUAL. 



PART FIRST. 

SCRIPTURE LESSONS AND FORMS OF SERVICE FOR 
VARIOUS OCCASIONS. 

CHAPTER I. 

MABBIAGE SERVICES. 

SECTION I, 
TJie full Marriage Service.* 

IT At the day and time appointed for Solemnization of Matrimony, 
the persons to be married shall come into the body of the church, 
or shall be ready in some proper house, with their friends and 
neighbors ; and there standing together, the Man on the right 
hand, and the Woman on the left, the minister shall say : 

DEARLY beloved : We are gathered to- 
gether here in the sight of God, and in 
the face of this company, to join together this 
Man and this Woman in holy matrimony ; which 
is commended of St. Paul to be honorable 
among all men : and therefore is not by any to 
be entered into unadvisedly or lightly ; but 
reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and in the fear 
of God. Into this holy estate, these two per- 
sons present come now to be joined. If any 
man can show just cause why they may not 

* The service here given is that now in use in the Protestant 
Episcopal Church in this country, as found in the Book of 
Common Prayer. 



8 



THE MINISTER'S 



lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, 
or else hereafter for ever hold his peace. 

^[ And, also, speaking unto the persons who are to be married, he 
shall say : 

I REQUIRE and charge you both, as ye will 
answer at the dreadful day of judgment, when 
the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that 
if either of you know any impediment why ye 
may not be lawfully joined together in matri- 
mony, ye do now confess it. For be ye w r ell 
assured, that if any persons are joined together 
otherwise than as God's word doth allow, their 
marriage is not lawful. 

If no impediment shall be alleged, the minister shall say to the 
man : 

M., T/i^ILT thou have this Woman to thy 
T T wedded wife, to live together after 
God's ordinance, in the holy estate of matri- 
mony ? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, 
and keep her in sickness and in health; and, 
forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, 
so long as ye both shall live ? 

The man shall answer : 

I will. 

Then shall the minister say to the ivoman : 

N., "VTTILT thou have this Man to thy 
m wedded husband, to live together 
after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of 
matrimony ? Wilt thou obey him and serve 
him, love, honor, and keep him, in sickness and 
in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee 
only unto him, so long as ye both shall live '? 



POCKET RITUAL. 



9 



I will. 



The woman shall answer : 



Then shall the minister say : 



HO giveth this woman to be married to 
this man ? 



Then shall they give their Troth to each other in this manner : 
The minister, receiving the woman at her father's or friend's 
hands, shall cause the man ivith his right hand to take the 
woman by her right hand, and to say after him as follows : 

IM., take thee, N., to my wedded wife, to 
have and to hold from this day forward, 
for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in 
sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 
till death us do part, according to God's holy 
ordinance ; and thereto I plight thee my troth. 

^ Then shall they loose their hands- ; and the woman, with her right 
hand talcing the man by his right hand, shall likewise say after 
the minister : 

IN., take thee, M. 9 to my wedded husband, 
to have and to hold from this day forward, 
for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in 
sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to 
obey, till death us do part, according to God's 
holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my 
troth. 

^[ Then shall they again loose their hands ; and the man shall give 
unto the woman a ring. And the minister taking the ring shall 
deliver it unto the man, to put it upon the fourth finger of the 
woman's left hand. And the man, holding the ring there, and 
taught by the minister, shall say : 

WITH this ring I thee do wed, and with 
all my worldly goods I thee endow : 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



10 



THE MINISTER'S 



^ Then, the man leaving the ring upon the woman's left hand, the 
minister shall say : 

Let us pray. 

/^\UR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name ; Thy kingdom come ; Thy will 
be done on earth, as it is in heaven ; Give us this 
day our daily bread : And forgive us our tres- 
passes, as we forgive them that trespass against 
us; And lead us not into temptation ; But de- 
liver us from evil. Amen. 

O eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all 
mankind, Giver of all spiritual grace, the Au- 
thor of everlasting life; send thy blessing upon 
these thy servants, this man and this woman, 
whom we bless in thy name ; that, as Isaac and 
Rebecca lived faithfully together, so these per- 
sons may surely perform and keep the vow and 
covenant betwixt them made, whereof this ring 
given and received is a token and pledge, and 
may ever remain in perfect love and peace to- 
gether, and live according to thy laws ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

\ Then shall the minister join their right hands together, and say : 




HOSE whom God hath joined together 
let no man put asunder. 



^ Then shall the minister speak unto the company : 

FORASMUCH as M. and N. have consented 
together in holy wedlock, and have wit- 
nessed the same before God and this company, 
and thereto have given and pledged their faith, 
each to the other, and have declared the same 



POCKET RITUAL. 



11 



by giving and receiving a ring, and by joining 
hands ; I pronounce them Husband and Wife, 
in the name of the Father, and of-the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

r And the minister shall add this blessing, the candidates kneeling ; 
and the minister putting his hands upon their heads. 

GOD the Father, God the Son, God the 
Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep 
you : The Lord mercifully with his favor look 
upon you, and fill you with all spiritual bene- 
diction and grace ; that ye may so live together 
in this life, that in the world to come ye may 
have life everlasting. Amen. 



SECTION II. 

An Abridged Service with the Iting, 

DEARLY beloved : We are gathered to- 
gether here in the sight of God, and in 
the face of this company, to join together this 
Man and this Woman in holy matrimony, which 
is commended of St. Paul to be honorable 
among all men ; and therefore is not by any to 
be entered into unadvisedly or lightly ; but re- 
verently, discreetly, advisedly, and in the fear 
of God. Into this holy estate, these two per- 
sons present come now to be joined. If any 
man can show just cause why they may not 
lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, 
or else hereafter for ever hold his peace. 



12 



THE MINISTER'S 



^[ If no impediment shall be alleged, the minister shall say to the 

man : 

M., "VVTILT thou have this Woman to thy 
▼ T wedded wife, to live together after 
God's ordinance, in the holy estate of matri- 
mony ? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, 
and keep her in sickness and in health ; and, 
forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so 
long as ye both shall live 1 

^[ The man shall answer : 

I will. 

^ Then shall the minister say to the woman : 

N, 3 X1TILT thou have this Man to thy 
T T wedded husband, to live together 
after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of 
matrimony ? Wilt thou obey him and serve 
him, love, honor, and keep him, in sickness and 
in health ; and, forsaking all others, keep thee 
only unto him, so long as ye both shall live ? 

If The woman shall answer : 

I will. 

^[ Then shall the man give unto the woman a ring. And the min- 
ister, taking the ring, shall deliver it unto the man, to put it 
upon the fourth finger of the woman's left hand. And the 
man holding the ring there, and taught by the minister, shall 
say : 

ITH this ring I thee wed, and with all 
my worldly good I thee endow : In the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 




POCKET RITUAL. 



13 



j Or, if the candidate prefer not to repeat this portion of the service, 
the minister may use in its place the following : 

AS a token and seal of this covenant, you 
will now give and receive the marriage 

ring. 




HOSE whom God hath joined together 
let no man put asunder. 



^[ Then shall (he minister speak unto the company : 

FORASMUCH as M. and N. have con- 
sented together in holy wedlock, and 
have witnessed the same before God and 
this company, and thereto have pledged their 
faith, each to the other, by giving and receiving 
a ring, and by joining their hands ; I pronounce 
them Husband and Wife together, in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 

Prayer. 



SECTION III. 

A.n Abridged Service without the Ming. 

DEARLY beloved : We are gathered to- 
gether here in the sight of God, and in 
the face of this company, to join together this 
Man and this W oman in holy matrimony, which 
is commended of St. Paul to be honorable 
among all men ; and therefore is not by any to 
be entered into unadvisedly or lightly ; but re- 
verently, discreetly, advisedly, and in the fear 
of God. Into this holy estate, these two per- 
sons present come now to be joined. If any 



14 



THE MINISTER'S 



man can show just cause why they may not 
lawfully be joined together let him now speak, 
or else hereafter for ever hold his peace. 

If If no impediment shall be alleged, the minister shall say to the 

man : 

M., ^SX^ILT thou have this Woman to thy 
i T wedded wife, to live together after 
God's ordinance, in the holy estate of matri- 
mony ? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, 
and keep her, in sickness and in health ; and, 
forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so 
long as ye both shall live ? 

The man shall answer : 

I will. 

^f Then shall the minister say to the woman : 

N., "V^TILT thou have this Man to thy 
▼ T wedded husband, to live together 
after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of 
matrimony? Wilt thou obey him and serve 
him, love, honor, and keep him, in sickness and 
in health ; and, forsaking all others, keep thee 
only unto him, so long as ye both shall live ? 

^f The woman shall answer : 

I will. 

IN further token of your assent to this cove- 
nant you will join your right hands, and 
those whom God hath joined together let no 
man put asunder. 

^f Then shall the minister speak unto the company : 

FORASMUCH as M. and N. have con- 
sented together in holy wedlock, and have 
witnessed the same before God and this com- 



POCKET RITUAL. 



15 



pany, and thereto have pledged their faith, each 
to the other, by joining their hands; I pro- 
nounce them husband and wife together, in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Prayer. 



SECTION IV. 

A Brief Service with a Scripture Lesson, and without the JRing. 

IT The parties and witnesses standing in the presence of the minister, 
he may first briefly invoke the Divine blessing upon the solem- 
nities about to occur, and shall read one or more of the following 
Scripture lessons : 

Matt. xix. 3-6. 

THE Pharisees also came unto him, tempting 
him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for 
a man to put away his wife for every cause ? 
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye 
not rea'd, that he which made them at the be- 
ginning made them male and female ; and said, 
For this cause shall a man leave father and mo- 
ther, and shall cleave to his wife : and they 
twain shall be one flesh ? Wherefore they are 
no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore 
God hath joined together, let not man put 
asunder. 

Eph. v. 22—33. 

IVES, submit yourselves unto your own 
husbands, as unto the Lord. For the 
husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ 
is the head of the church : and he is the Saviour 




16 



THE MINISTER'S 



of the body. Therefore as the church is sub- 
ject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their 
own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love 
your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, 
and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify 
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the 
word ; that he might present it to himself a 
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or 
any such thing ; but that it should be holy and 
without blemish. So ought men to love their 
wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his 
wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet 
hated his own flesh ; but nourisheth and cher- 
isheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we 
are members of his body, of his flesh, and of 
his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his 
father and mother, and shall be joined unto his 
wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is 
a great mystery : but I speak concerning Christ 
and the church. Nevertheless, let every one 
of you in particular so love his wife even as 
himself ; and the wife see that she reverence 
her husband. 

1 Pet. hi. 1-7. 

LIKEWISE, ye wives, be in subjection to 
your own husbands ; that, if any obey not 
the word, they also may without the word be 
won by the conversation of the wives ; while 
they behold your chaste conversation coupled 
with fear. Whose adorning, let it not be that 
outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of 
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel ; 
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in 



POCKET RITUAL. 



17 



that which is not corruptible, even the ornament 
of a meek and quiet spirit,* which is in the sight 
of God of great price. For after this manner 
in the old time the holy women also, who 
trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in 
subjection unto their own husbands : even as 
Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord : 
whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, 
and are not afraid with any amazement. Like- 
wise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to 
knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto 
the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of 
the grace of life; that your prayers be not 
hindered. 

Colossians hi. 18, 19. 

WIVES, submit yourselves unto your own 
husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Hus- 
bands, love your wives, and be not bitter against 
them. 

To the candidates. 

YOU present yourselves in the presence of 
God and of these witnesses, to be joined 
together in holy wedlock. You are to take 
each the other respectively as husband and wife, 
for prosperity or adversity, sickness or health, 
poverty or riches; and to perform all the duties 
belonging to such relation to the end of life ! 
To some of those duties as laid down in the 
Holy Scriptures I have already called your at- 
tention; and now in token of your readiness 
to assume these solemn obligations, and to be 
united in holy wedlock, you will please join 

2* 



18 



THE MINISTER'S 



your right hands, while I propose to you the 
marriage covenant. % 

^[ To the bridegroom. 

TT\0 you, A — B — declare before God and 
JLr these witnesses, that you have chosen this 
Woman, whom you hold by the hand, to be 
your lawful and wedded wife ? and do you pro- 
mise to be to her a faithful and affectionate 
husband, till death shall separate you ? 

Arts. — I will. 

f To the bride. 

DO you, C — D — avow before God and 
these witnesses, that you have chosen this 
Man, whom you hold by the hand, to be your 
lawful and wedded husband ? and do you pro- 
mise to be to him a faithful, affectionate, and 
obedient wife, till death shall separate you V 

Arts. — I will. 

fl" The parties respectively having assented, the minister shall say : 

WHAT God hath joined together let not 
man put asunder. 

AND now, forasmuch as you have thus con- 
sented together in holy wedlock, and 
have signified the same before God and these 
witnesses by joining your hands, I pronounce 
you husband and wife together, in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 

Prayer. 



* Pastor's Hand-Book, p. 37. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



19 



SECTION V. 

A. very Brief Service without the Hing or Se-ripture Wesson, 

Should a very brief ceremony be desired, the following may be 
used : 

YOU present yourselves before God and 
these witnesses, to be joined together in 
holy wedlock. This is an honorable estate, in- 
stituted of God in the time of man's innocency, 
and should not be entered upon unadvisedly or 
lightly. 

But believing that you have duly considered 
the solemn obligations you are about to assume, 
and that you are prepared to enter upon the 
same discreetly, advisedly, and in the fear of 
God, I shall propose to you the marriage cove- 
nant. 

Q. "VYTILT thou take each the other re- 
T T spectively as Husband and w r ife ; 
to live together after God's ordinance in the 
holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love, 
cherish, honor, and keep each other in pros- 
perity and adversity; in sickness and in health; 
and, forsaking all others, cleave each to the 
other, so long as you both shall live ? 

Arts. — I will. 

IN token of your assent to this covenant, you 
will join your right hands (this done) ; and 
what God hath joined together, let not man put 
asunder. 

Forasmuch as you have now consented 
together in holy wedlock, and have signified 



20 



THE MINISTER'S 



the same before God and these witnesses, by 
joining your hands, I pronounce you husband 
and wife together, in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen. 



Prayer. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



21 



CHAPTER II. 

fobjzs of s Fin ice fob baftishs. 

SECTION I. 
A. full Service for the Baptism of Children. 

J The child being brought before the altar by its parents or guar- 
dians, the minister shall address them, saying : 

IN presenting this child for consecration to 
God and his service, you not only signify 
thereby your faith in the Christian religion, of 
which baptism is an ordinance, but also your 
desire that he should enjoy the benefits of early 
consecration to God, and of special prayer on 
his behalf by this church and congregation ; 
that, if spared to adult years, he may early know 
and follow the will of God ; may live and die 
a Christian ; and may finally attain to everlast- 
ing life in heaven. 

But in order to this, it will be your duty, as 
his parents (or guardians), to teach him early 
the fear of the Lord ; to watch over his educa- 
tion, that he be not led astray by false doctrines; 
to direct his youthful mind to the Holy Scrip- 
tures, and his feet to the sanctuary; to restrain 
him from evil associates and habits ; and, as much 
as in you lieth, to " bring him up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord." 



22 



THE MINISTER'S 



Quest. — Will you endeavor so to do. by the 
help of God \ 

A '/is. — I will. 

^[ Then, turning to the congregation, the minister shall say : 

DEARLY beloved: Forasmuch as all men 
are born in sin, and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ saith none can enter the kingdom of 
God. except he be born anew of water and of 
the Holy Ghost. I beseech you to call upon God 
the Father, thro ash our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to 
this child that which by nature he cannot have, 
that he may be baptized with water and the 
Holy Ghost, and early received into Christ's 
holy church, and become a lively member of 
the same. 

Let us pray. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting; God. who of 
thy great mercy didst save Noah and his 
family in the ark from perishing by water : and 
also didst safely lead the children of Israel, thy 
people, through the Red Sea. figuring thereby 
this holy baptism : we beseech thee, for thine 
infinite mercies, that thou wilt look upon this 
child ; wash him and sanctify him with the Holy 
Ghost : that he i being; delivered from thy wrath, 
maybe received into the ark of Christ's church, 
and being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, 
and rooted in love, may so pass the waves of 
this troublesome world that finally/?? may come 
to the land of everlasting life : there to reign 
with thee, world without end. through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



23 



O MERCIFUL God, grant that the old 
Adam in this child may be so buried, that 
the new man maybe raised up in Kim. Amen. 

Grant that all carnal affections may die in 
him, and that all things belonging to the Spirit 
may live and grow in him. Amen. 

Grant that he may have power and strength 
to have victory, and to triumph against the devil, 
the world, and the flesh. Amen. 

Grant that whosoever is dedicated to thee by 
our office and ministry may also be endued with 
heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded 
through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who 
dost live and govern all things, world without 
end. Amen. 

ALMIGHTY, ever-living God, whose most 
dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the 
forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most 
precious side both water and blood, and gave 
commandment to his disciples that they should 
go teach all nations, and baptize them in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost ; regard, we beseech thee, the prayers of 
this thy congregation ; sanctify this water for this 
holy sacrament ; and grant that this child now 
to be baptized may receive the fullness of thy 
grace, and ever remain in the number of thy 
faithful and elect children, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

If Then the minister, rising, shall say : 

THEY brought young children to Christ, 
that he should put his hands upon them 
and pray. And his disciples rebuked those 



24 



THE MINISTER'S 



that brought them ; but when Jesus saw it, he 
was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer 
the little children to come unto me, and forbid 
them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God. 

Verily, I say unto you, whosoever shall not 
receive the kingdom of God, as a little child, 
he shall not enter therein. 

And he took them up in his arms, and put 
his hands upon them and blessed them. 

Then the minister shall take the child in his arms, and, calling its 
name, shall baptize it, saying : 

IV., X BAPTIZE thee in the name of the 
JL Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

The services may then be concluded by extemporaneous prayer, 
or the benediction. 



SECTION II. 

A. new mid concise Service for the Baptism of Children.* 

The child, being brought before the altar by its parents or guar- 
dians, the minister shall address them, saying: 

IN presenting this child for consecration to 
God and his service, you not only signify 
thereby your faith in the Christian religion, of 
w r hich Baptism is an ordinance, but also your 
desire that he should enjoy the benefits of early 

* This service is designed to exclude the idea of baptismal 
regeneration. The prayer is taken mainly from a Revised 
Ritual for the Methodist Episcopal Church, prepared in 1857, 
by a committee of the General Conference, of which Dr. 
McClintock was chairman, but which was never adopted or 
published, except for private examination. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



25 



consecration to God, and of special prayer on 
his behalf by this church and congregation; 
that, if spared to adult years, he may early 
know and follow the will of God; may live 
and die a Christian ; and may finally attain to 
everlasting life in heaven." 

But in order to this, it will be your duty, as 
his parents (or guardians), to teach him early 
the fear of the Lord ; to watch over his educa- 
tion, that he be not led astray by false doctrines; 
to direct his youthful mind to the Holy Scrip- 
tures, and his feet to the sanctuary; to restrain 
him from evil associates and habits; and, as 
much as in you lieth, to "bring him up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord." 

Quest. — Will you endeavor so to do, by the 
help of God 1 

Arts. — I will. 

^[ Then shall the minister say to the congregation : 

Hear the words of the Gospel, written by St. 
Mark, in the tenth chapter, at the thirteenth verse: 

THEY brought young children to Christ, 
that he should touch them ; and his dis- 
ciples rebuked those that brought them. But 
when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and 
said unto them, Suffer the little children to 
come unto me, and forbid them not; for of 
such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say 
unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the king- 
dom of God as a little child, he shall not enter 
therein. And he took them up in his arms, put 
his hands upon them, and blessed them. 

3 



26 



THE MINISTER'S 



f 17ie/i the minister shall take the child into his hands, and say to 

the friends of the child : 

Name this child. 

r \ And then, naming after them, he shall sprinkle or pour tcater 
vpon it, or, if desired, immerse it in water, saying: 

N., X BAPTIZE thee in the name of the 
JL Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

^[ And the people all kneeling, the following prayer shall be offered : 

OGOD of infinite mercy, the Father of all 
the faithful seed, be pleased to grant unto 
this child an understanding mind and a sancti- 
fied spirit, that he may be thy servant and thy 
child all his days. May thy providence lead 
him through the dangers, temptations, and igno- 
rance of his youth, that he may never run into 
folly or into the evils of an unbridled appetite. 
We pray thee so to order the course of his life, 
that by good education, by holy examples, and 
by thy restraining and renewing grace, he may 
be led to serve thee faithfully all his days, so 
that, when he has glorified thee in his genera- 
tion, he may be received into thy everlasting 
kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, let 
thy mercy and compassion descend upon 
these, thy servant and handmaid, the parents (or 
guardians) of this child. Grant unto them, we 
beseech thee, thy Holy Spirit, that they may, 
like Abraham, command their household to 
keep the way of the Lord. Direct thou their 
actions, and sanctify their hearts, words, and 



POCKET RITUAL. 



27 



purposes, that their whole family maybe united 
to our Lord Jesus Christ in the bands of obedi- 
ence and love ; and having been in this life thy 
holy children by adoption and grace, may they 
finally be admitted one and all into the church 
triumphant in heaven, through Jesus Christ our 
Saviour and Redeemer. Amen. 



SECTION III. 

A Service for the Consecration of children without Baptism.* 

J The child being brought before the altar by its parents or guar- 
dians, the minister shall say : 

BELOVED brethren : The Scriptures fur- 
nish us with numerous examples of the 
consecration of children to the service of God, 
by their devout parents. In the first book of 
Samuel, and in the first chapter, we have the 



* Many pious parents who can see no sufficient warrant for 
infant baptism in the Scriptures, do, nevertheless believe in 
the public consecration of children to God, after the example 
of devout Jews of a former dispensation, and the practice of 
our Lord himself. Many Baptists, even, are in favor of this 
practice. Dr. Jtjdson, the celebrated Baptist missionary, in- 
troduced the practice into India, where we believe it is still 
continued by that zealous denomination. We see no valid 
reason why this Scriptural custom may not with propriety be 
introduced into all Christian churches. It is not infant bap- 
tism, to which Baptists object, while, on the other hand, even 
Pedobaptists must admit, that it is better to have such conse- 
cration and prayer without baptism, than to have no presen- 
tation or consecration of our children to God. We submit, 
therefore, the above, and what follows, as an appropriate ser- 
vice for such consecrations. 



28 



THE MINISTER'S 



following account of the consecration of the 
infant Samuel, by his godly parents Elkanah 
and Hannah : 

AND the man Elkanah, and all his house, 
went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly 
sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not 
up ; for she said unto her husband, I will not go 
up until the child be weaned, and then I will 
bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, 
and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her 
husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee 
good ; tarry until thou have weaned him ; only 
the Lord establish his word. So the woman 
abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned 
him. And when she had weaned him, she took 
him up with her, with three bullocks, and one 
ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and 
brought him unto the house of the Lord in 
Shiloh : and the child teas young. And they 
slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 
And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, 
my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee 
here, praying unto the Lord. For this child 
I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my pe- 
tition which I asked of him : therefore also I 
have lent him to the Lord ; as long as he liveth 
he shall be lent to the Lord. And he wor- 
shiped the Lord there. 

Our divine Redeemer, also, was thus pre- 
sented to the Lord, by Joseph and Mary. 

AND when eight days were accomplished 
for the circumcising of the child, his name 
was called JESUS, which was so named of the 



POCKET RITUAL. 



29 



ang;el before he was conceived in the womb. 
And when the days of her purification accord- 
ing to the law of Moses were accomplished, 
they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him 
to the Lord. — Luke ii. 21, 22. 

The minister shall then say to the parents: 

IN presenting this child for consecration to 
God, you not only acknowledge your in- 
debtedness to him for all past mercies; and 
your belief in his gracious and overruling pro- 
vidence ; but you also manifest thereby a de- 
sire that your offspring should enjoy the bene- 
fits of early consecration to God, and of special 
prayer on his behalf, by this church and congre- 
gation ; that, if spared to adult years, he may 
early know and follow the will of God ; may 
live and die a Christian ; and may finally attain 
to everlasting life in heaven. 

But in order to this, it will be your duty, as 
his parents (or guardians), to teach him early 
the fear of the Lord; to watch over his educa- 
tion, that he be not led astray by false doctrines ; 
to direct his youthful mind to the Holy Scrip- 
tures, and his feet to the sanctuary; to restrain 
him from evil associates and habits; and, as 
much as in you lieth, to " bring him up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord." 

Quest. — Will you endeavor so to do, by the 
help of God } 

Arts. — I will. 

3 * 



30 



THE MINISTER'S 



THEY brought young children to Christ, 
that he should " put his hands on them 
and pray," {Matt. xix. 13) ; and his disciples 
rebuked those that brought them. But when 
Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said 
unto them, Suffer the little children to come 
unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the 
kingdom of God. * * * And he took them 
up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and 
blessed them. — Mark x. 13, 16. 

^[ The minister shall then receive the child from its parents or other' 
wise, place his right Jiand upon its head, and say : 

RECEIVE, O Lord, we beseech thee, this 
thy child, whom we now consecrate to 
thee, and to thy service for ever. Preserve 
thou his life, and lead him early to the know- 
ledge of thy ways. Replenish thou his soul 
with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue 
thine for ever; and finally, after this life, do 
thou bring him to the joys of thy everlasting 
kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Then handing the child back to its parents, the minister kneeling 

ivilh them at the altar, shall offer the following prayer : 

OGOD of infinite mercy, look down 
upon this child whom we have this 
day consecrated to thee and to thy service, 
in the assembly of thy people. Accept him 
as thine own, and be thou his God. Let 
thy shield be over him, and thy good provi- 
dence lead him through all the dangers of child- 
hood and youth, and the perils of maturer 



POCKET RITUAL. 



31 



years. Be pleased so to order the course of 
his life, that through the influence of thy word 
and holy examples ; and by thy restraining and 
renewing grace, he may be adopted into the 
household of faith ; may serve thee faithfully 
all his days ; and having glorified thee in his 
generation, may he be received, after death, into 
thy glorious and everlasting kingdom through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, let 
thy mercy and compassion descend upon 
these, thy servants, the parents (or guardians) 
of this child. Grant unto them, we beseech 
thee, thy Holy Spirit, that, like Abraham of 
old, they may command their household to 
keep the way of the Lord. Direct thou their 
actions, and sanctify their hearts, words, and 
purposes, that their whole family may be united 
to our Lord Jesus Christ, in the bands of obe- 
dience and love ; and having been in this life 
thy holy children by adoption and grace, may 
parents and children together, finally be ad- 
mitted to the church triumphant in heaven, 
through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Re- 
deemer. Amen. 



32 



THE MINISTER'S 



SECTION IV. 

A full Service for the Baptism of A ltflts.* 

The candidates standing before the altar, the minister shall ad- 
dress the church as follows : 

DEARLY beloved: Forasmuch as all men 
are conceived and born in sin, and our 
Saviour Jesus Christ saith, None can enter 
into the kingdom of God, except he be regen- 
erate and born anew of water and of the Holy 
Ghost ; I beseech you to call upon God the 
Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
of his bounteous goodness he will grant to 
these persons that which by nature they cannot 
have ; that they may be baptized with water 
and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ's 
holy church, and be made a lively member of 
the same. 

Let us pray. 

ALMIGHTY and immortal God, the aid 
of all that need, the helper of all that flee 
to thee for succor, the life of them that believe, 
and the resurrection of the dead ; we call upon 
thee for these persons, that they, coming to thy 
holy baptism, may receive remission of their 
sins, by spiritual regeneration. Receive them, 
O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well- 
beloved Son, saying, Ask, and ye shall receive ; 
seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be 
opened unto you ; so give now unto us that 
ask ; let us that seek, find ; open the gate unto 



* This service supposes the candidate to be but a penitent, 
noc yet pardoned or regenerated, but using baptism as a means 
of pardon. See Acts ii. 88 and xxii. 16. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



33 



us that knock; that these persons may enjoy 
the everlasting benediction of thy heavenly 
washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom 
which thou hast promised by Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

O MERCIFUL God, grant that the old 
Adam in these persons may be so buried, 
that the new man may be raised up in them. 
Amen. 

Grant that all carnal affections may die in 
them, and that all things belonging to the Spirit 
may live and grow in them. Amen. 

Grant that they may have power and strength 
to have victory, and triumph against the devil, 
the world, and the flesh. Amen. 

Grant that they being here dedicated to thee 
by our office and ministry, may also be endued 
with heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded 
through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who 
dost live and govern all things, world without 
end. Amen. 

ALMIGHTY, ever-living God, whose most 
dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the 
forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most 
precious side both water and blood ; and gave 
commandment to his disciples that they should 
go teach all nations, and baptize them in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost ; regard, we beseech thee, the prayers of 
this thy congregation ; and grant that the per- 
sons now to be baptized may receive the fullness 
of thy grace, and ever remain in the number 



34 



THE MINISTER'S 



of thy faithful and elect children, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then the minister shall speak to the persons to be baptized on 
this wise: 

WELL beloved, who are come hither, de- 
siring to receive holy baptism, ye have 
heard how the congregation hath prayed that 
our Lord Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to re- 
ceive you, and bless you, to release you of your 
sins, to give you the kingdom of heaven and 
everlasting life. And our Lord Jesus Christ 
has promised, in his holy word, to grant all 
those things that we have prayed for; which 
promise he, for his part, will most surely keep 
and perform. 

Wherefore, after this promise made by Christ, 
you must always faithfully, for your ptirt, pro- 
mise, in the presence of this congregation, that 
you will renounce the devil and all his works, 
and constantly believe God's holy word, and 
obediently keep his commandments. 

\ Then shall the minister demand of each of the persons to be bap- 
tized, severally, as follows, the candidates responding audibly, 
in the language of the subjoined answers : 

Q. TAOST thou renounce the devil and all 
JLr his works, the vain pomp and glory 
of the world, with all covetous desires of the 
same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that 
thou wilt not follow or be led by them ? 

Ans. — I renounce all. 

Q. TP|OST thou believe in God the Father 
-LJ Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth ? 
and in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our 



POCKET RITUAL. 



35 



Lord ? and that he was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ? that he suf- 
fered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, 
and buried; that he rose again the third day; 
that he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the 
right hand of God the Father Almighty, and 
from thence shall come again, at the end of the 
world, to judge the quick and the dead? 

And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost ; 
the Holy Catholic Church;* the communion of 
saints ; the remission of sins : the resurrec- 
tion of the body, and everlasting life after 
death ? 

A?is. — All this I steadfastly believe. 

Quest. ^yL\TILT thou be baptized in this 
W faith? 

Arts. — This is my desire. 

Quest.^L\TlLT thou then obediently keep 
T T God's holy will and commandments, 
and walk in the same all the days of thy life ? 

Ans. — I will endeavor so to do, the Lord 
being my helper. 

^[ The minister shall then baptize the candidate, saying : 

N., X BAPTIZE thee in the name of the 
JL Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

r The service may then conclude by extemporaneous prayer, or with 
the benediction. 



* By the Holy Catholic Church is meant the Church of God 
in general. 



36 



THE MINISTER'S 



SECTION V. 

A New and brief Service for the Baptism of Adults. 

The candidates standing before the altar, the minuter shall ad- 
dress them, saying : 

DEARLY beloved : It has pleased God, in 
his infinite mercy, to awaken you to a 
sense of your guilt and danger, and to lead you, 
as we humbly trust, to true repentance and 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Of the sincerity 
of your purpose to lead a new life, and to seek 
an inheritance with the righteous beyond the 
grave, we have so far become satisfied as to ac- 
cord to you our confidence and fellowship, as 
Christian believers entitled to a place with us in 
the flock of Christ, and to all the ordinances of 
the house of God. Among these ordinances 
is Christian baptism, to receive which you have 
now presented yourselves before this altar. For 
the administration and reception of this sacra- 
ment, we have the most ample warrant in the 
Holy Scriptures. 

OUR Lord commanded his apostles to teach 
all nations, baptizing them in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. 

ON the day of pentecost, when the multi- 
tude, being pricked in their hearts, in- 
quired what they should do, Peter answered, 
" Repent and be baptized, every one of you, 
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission 
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost. Then they that gladly received his 
w r ord were baptized : and the same day there 



POCKET RITUAL. 



37 



were added unto them about three thousand 
souls." — Acts ii. 38, 41. 

PHILIP, the Evangelist, went down to the 
city of Samaria, and preached Christ to 
the people. And when they believed Philip 
preaching the things concerning the kingdom of 
God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were 
at once baptized, both men and women. — Acts 
viii. 12. 

WHEX Cornelius and others, at Cesarea, 
had received the gospel at the mouth 
of Peter, and believed on Christ, Peter said to 
the audience : " Can any man forbid water, 
that these should not be baptized, which have 
received the Holy Ghost as well as we ? And 
he commanded them to be baptized in the name 
of the Lord."— Acts x. 47, 48. 

AS Philip and the eunuch went on their 
way, they came unto a certain water ; 
and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what 
doth hinder me to be baptized ? And Philip 
said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou 
mayest. And he answered and said, I believe 
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he 
commanded the chariot to stand still : and they 
went down both into the water, both Philip and 
the eunuch : and he baptized him. — Acts viii. 
36—38. 

WHEX Paul and Silas were at Philippi, 
they went out of the city upon the 
Sabbath, and preached by the river-side to the 
women that resorted thither. And a certain 
woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the 

4 



38 



THE MINISTER'S 



city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard 
them, whose heart the Lord opened, that she 
attended unto the things which were spoken of 
Paul ; whereupon she was immediately bap- 
tized, and her household. — Acts xvi. 14, 15. 

A FEW days afterward, Paul and Silas were 
in prison, in the same city, and the Lord 
delivered them by an earthquake, and convinced 
the jailor of his guilt and danger. And when 
he asked Paul what he should do to be saved, 
the Apostle answered, Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy 
house. And they spake unto him the word of 
the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 
And he took them the same hour of the night, 
and washed their stripes ; and was baptized, he 
and all his, straightway. — Acts xvi. 31-33. 

WHEN St. Paul was preaching at Corinth, 
it is said that " Crispus, the chief ruler 
of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with 
all his house : and many of the Corinthians 
hearing, believed, and were baptized." — Acts 
xviii. 8. 

AND even the disciples of John, who had 
been baptized unto repentance, were sub- 
sequently re-baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus. — Acts xix. 5. 

SUCH was the practice of the holy apostles, 
and of the primitive saints ; and such has 
been the practice in the church of Christ in all 
ages. And now, following the example of the 
early saints, you stand here in the presence of 



POCKET RITUAL. 



39 



God, and of this assembly, to receive the ordi- 
nance of Christian baptism. 

Q. T~\0 you then, in the presence of God 
JLF and of this assembly, solemnly re- 
nounce the devil and all his works, and declare 
the Lord Jehovah to be your God ? 

Arts. — I do. 

Q. TT|0 you here confess the Lord Jesus 
JLr Christ as your Redeemer and hope; 
trusting alone to the merits of his death for the 
forgiveness of your sins: the sanctification of 
your fallen natures ; the resurrection of your 
bodies from the grave ; and the everlasting sal- 
vation of both soul and body in heaven ? 

Arts. — I do. 

Q. T^O you then solemnly consecrate your- 
MJr selves to Christ, and to his service for 
ever ; and will you endeavor henceforth to 
keep God's holy will and commandments, and 
to walk in the same all the days of thy life ? 

Arts. — I will endeavor so to do, the Lord 
being my helper. 

^[ The minister shall then baptize the candidate, saying : 

N., X BAPTIZE thee in the name of the 
-L Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Let us pray. 



40 



THE MINISTER'S 



CHAPTER III. 

SERVICE FOR THE CONFIRMATION OF PERSONS 
liAI'TIZED IN INFANCY.* 

The candidates being called before the altar, the minister shall 
address the church as follows : 

DEARLY beloved: The rite of confirma- 
tion is neither a sacrament nor an ordi- 
nance of the Gospel ; but is a prudential regu- 
lation and ceremony, like those for the solemni- 
zation of marriage, and the burial of the dead ; 
and is instituted to the end that persons baptized 
in childhood, and living to years of discretion 
and knowledge, may themselves, with their own 
mouth and consent, openly before the church, 
ratify and confirm their baptismal covenant ; and 
may promise that, by the grace of God, they will 
evermore endeavor faithfully to observe all those 
things which they, by their own confession, 
have assented to. 

We beseech you, therefore, with one accord, 
to unite in supplication to Almighty God, that 
he will accept and confirm the covenant into 
which these persons come now for themselves 

* The General Conference of the M. E. Church, for 1856, 
provided that adults baptized in infancy might be admitted 
into the church upon their " publicly assenting before the 
church to the baptismal covenant." See Discipline, p. 35. And 
yet, so far as we have knowledge, no formula has been pre- 
scribed for this " public assent" before the church. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



41 



to enter; that he will grant unto them the re- 
mission of all their sins ; and will youchsafe all 
needful grace and strength to keep this cove- 
nant inviolate, and to walk before God in right- 
eousness and holiness to the end of life. 

^[ Then, turning to the candidates, the minister shall say : 

DEARLY beloved : You desire this day, in 
the presence of God, and of this assem 
bly, to renew the solemn promise and vow that 
was made in your name, at your baptism ; to 
ratify and confirm the same ; and to acknow- 
ledge yourselves bound to believe and to do all 
those things which your parents then promised 
or undertook for you ? 

And every candidate shall audibly answer : 

This is my desire. 

Q. T\OST thou then renounce the devil and 
U all his works, the vain pomp and glory 
of the world, with all covetous desires of the 
same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that 
thou wilt not follow or be led by them ? 

Ans. — I renounce them all. 

Q. ~p|OST thou believe in God the Father 
JLr Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth ? 
and in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our 
Lord ? and that he was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ? that he suf- 
fered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, 
and buried; that he rose again the third day; 
that he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the 
right hand of God the Father Almighty, and 

4 * 



42 



THE MINISTER'S 



from thence shall come again, at the end of the 
world, to judge the quick and the dead ? 

And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost, the 
Holy Catholic Church;* the communion of 
saints ; the remission of sins ; the resurrection 
of the body, and everlasting life after death ? 

Ans. — All this I steadfastly believe. 

Q. "VWTILT thou then obediently keep God's 
Y Y holy wiH and commandments, and 
walk in the same all the days of thy life ! 

Ans. I will endeavor so to do, the Lord being 
my helper. 

The candidate* kneeling I c fore the altar, the minister shall lay his 
hands upon the head of every one severally, saying, 

DEFEND, O Lord, this thy child (or, this 
thy servant,) with thy heavenly grace ; 
that he may continue thine forever; and may 
daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, 
until he come unto thy everlasting kingdom. 
Amen. 

Let us pray. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who of 
thy great mercy hast spared these thy ser- 
vants, from infancy to years of discretion and 
knowledge ; and hast disposed them by thy 
grace to believe in thee, and to ratify and confirm 
this day, in the presence of thy people, the 
covenant entered into in their behalf at the time 
of their baptism ; strengthen thou and confirm 



* By the Holy Catholic Church is meant the Church of God 
in general, 



POCKET RITUAL. 



43 



them, O Lord, with thy Holy Spirit, and daily 
increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace. 
Grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding, 
the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of 
knowledge and true godliness ; and fill them, O 
Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and 
forever. Amen. 

ALMIGHTY and ever-living God, who ma- 
kest us both to will and to do those things 

o 

which are good, and acceptable unto thy Divine 
Majesty ; we make our humble supplications 
unto thee for these thy servants, upon whom, 
after the example of the holy apostles, we have 
now laid our hands, to certify them, by this 
sign, of thy favor and gracious goodness to- 
ward them. Let thy fatherly hand, we beseech 
thee, ever be over them ; let thy Holy Spirit 
ever be with them ; and so lead them in the 
knowledge and obedience of thy word, that in 
the end they may attain everlasting life, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ; who, with Thee and 
the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, ever one 
God, world without end. Amen. 

O ALMIGHTY Lord, the everlasting God, 
vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, 
sanctify, and govern both our hearts and lives; 
guide us evermore in the way of thy command- 
ments; and bring us finally to the joys of thy 
heavenly and everlasting kingdom, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The blessing of God Almighty, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost be upon you, and 
remain with you forever. Amen. 



44 



THE MINISTER'S 



CHAPTER IV. 

FOB MUZ A FOB THE FTBLIC BECEPTIOX OF CAXDI- 
DATES IXTO THE CHVBi JI. 

If The prdim in mry examinations, (of ichatever kind) having been 
had, and the candidate having been approved or passed by the 
committee, board, or church meeting, as the case mag be. the 
pastor shall call them before the altar, and shall address them, 
saying : 

DEARLY beloved : It has pleased God, in 
his infinite mercy, to awaken you to a 
sense of your guilt and danger, and to lead 
you as we humbly trust, to true repentance and 
faith in Christ. Of the sincerity of your pur- 
pose to lead a new life and seek an inheritance 
with the righteous beyond the grave, we have 
so far become satisfied as to accord to you our 
confidence and fellowship, as Christian believers, 
entitled to a place with us in the flock of Christ. 
x\nd having already received the holy rite of 
Christian baptism, you are invited before this 
altar to-day to be formally and publicly admitted 
into the church of God, which Christ has pur- 
chased with his own blood. This Church is de- 
clared in the scriptures to be the pillar and ground 



* This is intended to be appropriate for Methodists, Bap- 
tists, Congregationalists, &c. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



45 



of the truth. It is the visible body of which 
Christ is the head, and of which henceforth 
you are to be members. It is the "vineyard in 
which you are to be laborers ; the impregnable 
stronghold against which even the gates of hell 
shall never prevail. In this church w r e trust 
you will endeavor to be ornaments, pillars, and 
shining lights, to the peace and safety of your 
own souls, and to the glory of God, your final 
judge. And now, in further evidence of your 
purpose to renounce the ways of sin and death, 
and of your willingness to take the yoke of 
Christ upon you, and devote yourselves fully to 
his service henceforth and forever, I ask your 
public assent to this solemn covenant. 

Q. TN the presence of God and of this as- 
JL sembly you declare the Lord Jehovah 
to be your God, and Jesus Christ your Re- 
deemer and hope, in whom alone you trust 
for everlasting life ? 

Arts. — I do. 

Q. you, then, publicly consecrate your- 

JL/ self to him and to his service forever ; 
promising henceforth, by the help of God, to 
avoid all evil ; to do good ; to lead an humble 
and devout life ; to keep the Sabbath Day holy ; 
to attend statedly upon the public worship of 
God, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and 
the private and social means of grace ; to watch 
over your brethren in love, for their good, kindly 
giving and receiving admonition as occasion 
may require ? 



46 



THE MINISTER'S 



Will you contribute of your substance as 
God may give ability for the relief of the needy 
and distressed of your brethren ; the mainte- 
nance of the public worship of God in this place, 
and the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom 
in the earth ? 

This will you endeavor to do by the help of 
God ? 

Arts. — I will. 

WHILE, then, the members of the church 
here present, rise and remain standing 
in token of their concurrence in this official 
act of their pastor, (the members having risen 
up) I now in their behalf extend to you the 
right hand of fellowship and of welcome to the 
Church of God, in the name of the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost — one God, world 
without end. Amen. 

*[ The hand being given to each candidate severally, the ceremony 
should conclude with extemporaneous prayer suited to the oc- 
caswn. 



Note. — In some churches all the officers of the church are 
invited into the chancel, and follow the pastor in giving the 
candidates the right hand of fellowship. If not done in this 
formal manner, it is highly proper that they thus greet the 
candidates at the close of the service, and that all members 
of the church extend to them a friendly personal greeting 
and welcome. Coldness and reserve could never be more out 
of place than upon such an occasion. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



47 



CHAPTER V. 

THE LORD'S Stt>PEB. 

SECTION I. 

A. full Service for the Lord's Supper.* 

^| At the commencement of the sacramental services a collection shuil 
be taken for the relief of the poor, or for any ivho may be ne- 
cessitous in the church ; during the taking of which one or 
more of the following Scriptures may be read: 

LET jour light so shine before men, that 
they may see your good works, and glo- 
rify your Father which is in heaven. — Matt. 
v. 16. 

Whatsoever ye would that men should do to 
you, do you even so to them : for this is the 
law and the prophets. — Matt. vii. 12. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, 
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : 
but he that doeth the will of my Father which 
is in heaven. — Matt. vii. 21. 

He that soweth sparingly shall reap also 
sparingly ; and he which soweth bountifully 
shall also reap bountifully. Every man accord- 
ing as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; 
not grudgingly, nor of necessity : for God 
loveth a cheerful giver. — 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7. 



* This is the regular communion service of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church T 



48 



THE MINISTER'S 



As we have therefore opportunity, let us do 
good unto all men, especially unto them who 
are of the household of faith. — Gal. vi. 10. 

Charge them that are rich in this world, 
that they be ready to distribute, willingly to 
communicate, laying up in store for themselves 
a good foundation against the time to come, that 
they may lay hold on eternal life. — 1 Tim. vi. 
17-19. 

God is not unrighteous to forget your work 
and labor of love, which ye have showed to- 
ward his name, in that ye have ministered to 
the saints, and do minister. — Heb. vi. 10. 

To do good, and to communicate, forget not; 
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. — 
Heb. xiii. 16. 

Whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his 
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels 
of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love 
of God in him? — 1 John iii. 17. 

He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth 
unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given 
will he pay him again. — Prov. xix. 17. 

Blessed is he that considered! the poor : the 
Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. — Psalm 
xli. 1. 

A hymn may then he sung, after ichich. the people remaining 
standing, the minister shall say : 

YE that do truly and earnestly repent of 
your sins, and are in love and charity with 
your neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, 



POCKET RITUAL. 



49 



following the commandments of God, and walk- 
ing from henceforth in his holy ways; draw 
near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to 
your comfort; and make your humble confes- 
sion to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon 
your knees. 

If Then shall this general confession and prayer be made by the 
minister in the name of all those who are minded to receive the 
Holy Communion, both he and all the people kneeling humbly 
upon their knees, and saying : 

ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge 
of all men : we acknowledge and bewail our 
manifold sins and wickedness, which we from 
time to time most grievously have committed, 
by thought, word, and deed, against thy Divine 
Majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and 
indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, 
and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings ; 
the remembrance of them is grievous unto us. 
Have mercy upon us ; have mercy upon us, 
most merciful Father; for thy Son, our Lord 
Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past ; 
and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and 
please thee in newness of life, to the honor and 
glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

O ALMIGHTY God, our Heavenly Father, 
who of thy great mercy hast promised for- 
giveness of sins to all them that with hearty re- 
pentance and true faith turn unto thee; have 
mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all 
our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all good- 

5 



50 



THE MINISTER^ 



ness, and bring us to everlasting life, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

WE do not presume to come to this thy 
table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our 
own righteousness, but in thy manifold and 
great mercies. We are not worthy so much 
as to gather up the crumbs under thy table. 
But thou art the same Lord, whose property is 
always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gra- 
cious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son 
Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our 
sinful souls and bodies may be made clean by 
his death, and washed through his most precious 
blood; and that we may evermore dwell in him, 
and he in us. Amen. 

f Then the minister shall offer the prayer of consecration, as fol- 
lows : 

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, 
who of thy tender mercy didst give thy 
only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the 
cross for our redemption ; who made there-by 
his oblation of himself once offered a full, per- 
fect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satis- 
faction for the sins of the whole world ; and 
did institute, and in his holy Gospel command 
us to continue, a perpetual memory of that, his 
precious death, until his coming again : hear us, 
O merciful Father, we humbly beseech thee ; 
and grant that we, receiving these thy creatures 
of bread and wine, according to thy Son our 
Saviour Jesus Christ's holy institution, in re- 
membrance of his death and passion, may be 
partakers of his most blessed body and blood, 



POCKET RITUAL. 



51 



who, ill the same night that he was betrayed, 
took bread ; and when he had given thanks, he 
broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 
Take, eat ; this is my body which is given for 
you ; Do this in remembrance of me. 

Likewise after supper He took the cup ; and 
when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, 
saying, Drink ye all of this ; for this is my 
blood of the new testament, which is shed for 
you, and for many, for the remission of sins ; 
Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remem- 
brance of me. Amen. 

^ When the minister delivereth the bread, he shall say, 

THE body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which 
was given for thee, preserve thy soul and 
body unto everlasting life. Take and eat this 
in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and 
feed on Him in thy heart by faith with thanks- 
giving. 

When he delivereth the cup, he shall say, 

THE blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which 
was shed for thee, preserve thy soul and 
body unto everlasting life. Drink this in re- 
membrance that Christ's blood was shed for 
thee, and be thankful. 

CONCLUSION. 

OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed 
be thy name ; Thy kingdom come ; Thy 
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven ; Give 
us this day our daily bread ; And forgive us 
our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass 
against us ; And lead us not into temptation ; 



52 



THE MINISTER'S 



But deliver us from evil; for thine is the King- 
dom, the Power, and the Glory, for ever and 
ever. Amen. 

MAY the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, keep your hearts and 
minds in the knowledge and love of God, and 
of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord ; and the 
blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost, be among you, and remain 
with you always. Amen. 



SECTION II. 

A new communion serricc, witJi Scripture lesson*, singing, and 
extempore prayer 

^[ Let one or more of the following Scripture lessons be read. 

Isaiah liii. 1-12. 

HO hath believed our report ? and to 
whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ? 
For he shall grow up before him as a tender 
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : he 
hath no form nor comeliness ; and when we shall 
see him, there is no beauty that we should de- 
sire him. He is despised and rejected of men ; 
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief : 
and we hid it as it were our faces from him ; he 
was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely 
he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sor- 
rows : yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten 
of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded 
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our 
iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was 




POCKET RITUAL. 



53 



upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed. 
All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have 
turned every one to his own way ; and the 
Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he 
opened not his mouth : he is brought as a lamb 
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his 
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 
He was taken from prison and from judgment ; 
and who shall declare his generation ? for he 
was cut off out of the land of the living : for 
the transgression of my people was he stricken. 
And he made his grave with the wicked, and 
with the rich in his death ; because he had done 
no violence, neither was an y deceit in his mouth. 
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him ; he hath 
put him to grief; when thou shalt make his 
soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he 
shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the 
Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see 
of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied : 
by his knowledge shall my righteous servant 
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the 
great, and he shall divide the spoil with the 
strong ; because he hath poured out his soul 
unto death : and he was numbered with the 
transgressors ; and he bare the sin of many, and 
made intercession for the transgressors. 

Luke xxii. 14-20. 

A ND when the hour was come, he sat down, 
and the twelve apostles with him. And 
he said unto them, With desire I have desired 



54 



THE MINISTER'S 



to eat this passover with you before I suffer : 
for I say unto you, I will not any more eat 
thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of 
God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, 
and said, Take this, and divide it among your- 
selves : for I say unto you, I will not drink of 
the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God 
shall come. And he took bread, and gave 
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, say- 
ing, This is my body which is given for you : 
this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also 
the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the 
new testament in my blood, which is shed for 
you. 

Matt, xxvii. 38-50. 

THEN were there two thieves crucified with 
him ; one on the right hand, and another 
on the left. And they that passed by reviled 
him, wagging their heads ; and saying, Thou 
that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in 
three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son 
of God, come down from the cross. Likewise 
also the chief priests mocking him, with the 
scribes and elders, said : He saved others ; him- 
self he cannot save. If he be the King of Is- 
rael, let him now come down from the cross, 
and we will believe him. He trusted in God ; 
let him deliver him now, if he will have him : 
for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves 
also, which were crucified with him, cast the 
same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour 
there was darkness over all the land unto the 
ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus 



POCKET RITUAL. 



55 



cried %vith a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama 
sabachthani ? that is to say, My God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me ? Some of them 
that stood there, when they heard that, said, 
This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one 
of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it 
with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave 
him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see 
whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, 
when he had cried again with a loud voice, 
yielded up the ghost. 

1 Cor. xi. 23-30. 

FOR I have received of the Lord that which 
also I delivered unto you, That the Lord 
Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, 
took bread : and when he had given thanks, he 
brake it, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body, 
which is broken for you : this do in remembrance 
of me. After the same manner also he took the 
cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is 
the new testament in my blood : this do ye, as 
oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink 
this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he 
come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this 
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, un- 
worthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood 
of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, 
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of 
that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh un- 
worthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to 
himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For 



56 



THE MINISTER'S 



this cause many are weak and sickly among 
you, and many sleep. 

\ A few verses of an appropriate hymn. 

Extemporaneous prayer adapted to the occasion. 
Distribution of the bread and wine. 
Collection for the poor, if one be taken. 
A hymn of thanksgiving and the benediction. 



SECTION III. 
A. short service for communion with the sick.* 

^[ Read one or both of the following : 

Luke xxii. 14-20. 

AND when the hour was come, he sat down, 
and the twelve apostles with him. And 
he said unto them, With desire I have desired 
to eat this passover with you before I suffer : 
for I say unto you, I will not any more eat 
thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of 
God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, 
and said, Take this, and divide it among your- 
selves : for I say unto you, I will not drink of 
the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God 
shall come. And he took bread and gave 
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, say- 
ing, This is my body which is given for you : 

* Whenever practicable, it is always well to have several 
Christians present upon such occasions, in whom the sick per- 
son has confidence, and also to have singing, as indicated in 
this service* 



POCKET RITUAL. 



57 



this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also 
the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the 
new testament in my blood, which" is shed for 
you. 

1 Cor. xL 23-26. 

FOR I have received of the Lord that which 
also I delivered unto you, That the Lord 
Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, 
took bread : and when he had given thanks, he 
brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my 
body, which is broken for you : this do in re- 
membrance of me. After the same manner 
also he took the cup, when he had supped, say- 
ing, This cup is the new testament in my blood : 
this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remem- 
brance of me. For as often as ye eat this 
bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the 
Lord's death till he come. 

^[ A few verses of an appropriate hymn. 
\ Then Jet the following or an extemporaneous prayer be offered : 

O FATHER of mercies, and God of all 
comfort, our only help in time of need; 
we fly unto thee for succor in behalf of this 
thy servant, here lying under thy hand in great 
weakness of body. Look graciously upon him, 
O Lord ; and the more the outward man de- 
cayeth, strengthen him, we beseech thee, so 
much the more continually with thy grace and 
Holy Spirit, in the inner man. Give him un- 
feigned repentance for all the errors of his past 
life, and steadfast faith in thy Son Jesus ; that 
his sins may be done away by thy mercy, and 



58 



THE MINISTER'S 



his pardon sealed in heaven, before he go hence, 
and be no more seen. We know, O Lord, that 
there is no word impossible with thee ; and that, 
if thou wilt, thou canst even yet raise him up, 
and grant him a longer continuance amongst us : 
Yet, forasmuch as in all appearance the time 
of his dissolution draweth near, so fit and pre- 
pare him, we beseech thee, against the hour of 
death, that after his departure hence in peace, 
and in thy favor, his soul may be received into 
thine everlasting kingdom ; through the merits 
and mediation of Jesus Christ thine only Son, 
our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

O ALMIGHTY God, our Heavenly Father, 
who of thy great mercy hast promised for- 
giveness of sins to all them that with hearty re- 
pentance and true faith turn unto thee ; have 
mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all 
our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all good- 
ness, and bring us to everlasting life, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

E do not presume to come to this thy 
table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our 
own righteousness, but in thy manifold and 
great mercies. We are not worthy so much 
as to gather up the crumbs under thy table. 
But thou art the same Lord, whose property is 
always to have mercy ; grant us, therefore, gra- 
cious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son 
Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our 
sinful souls and bodies may be made clean by 
his death, and washed through his most precious 




POCKET RITUAL. 



59 



blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, 
and he in us. Amen. 

][ Then let the bread and wine be given first to the other Christians 
present, and last of all to the sick person. 

1[ // the invalid be not too ill, or too much exhausted, let another 
hymn be sung, and the service concluded with the benediction. 

MAY the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, keep your hearts and 
minds in the knowledge and love of God, and 
of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord ; and the 
blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost, be among you, and remain 
with you always. Amen. 



60 



THE MINISTER'S 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
SECTION I. 

Appropriate Scripture lessons. 

2 Kings xx. 1-11. 

IN those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. 
And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz 
came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the 
Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt 
die, and not live. Then he turned his face to 
the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 
I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I 
have walked before thee in truth and with a 
perfect heart, and have done that which is good 
in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And 
it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into 
the middle court, that the word of the Lord 
came to him saying, Turn again, and tell Heze- 
kiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the 
Lord, the God of David thy father, I have . 
heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears : be- 
hold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou 
shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And 
I will add unto thy days fifteen years ; and I 
will deliver thee and this city out of the hand 
of the king of Assyria ; and I will defend this 
city for mine own sake, and for my servant 
David's sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump 



POCKET RITUAL. 



61 



of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, 
and he recovered. 

Heb. xii. 1-11. 

WHEREFORE, seeing we also are com- 
passed about with so great a cloud of 
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the 
sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us 
run with patience the race that is set before us, 
looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of 
our faith ; who for the joy that was set before 
him endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and is set down at the right hand of the throne 
of God. For consider him that endured such 
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye 
be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have 
not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 
And ye have forgotetn the exhortation which 
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, 
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, 
nor faint when thou art rebuked of him : for 
whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If 
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as 
with sons ; for what son is he whom the father 
chasteneth not ? But if ye be without chastise- 
ment, whereof all are partakers, then are ye 
bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have 
had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, 
and we gave them reverence ; shall we not much 
rather be in subjection unto the Father of 
spirits, and live ? For they verily for a few 
days chastened us after their own pleasure ; but 
he for our profit, that we might be partakers of 

6 



62 



THE MINISTER'S 



his holiness. Now no chastening for the present 
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : neverthe- 
less, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of 
righteousness unto them which are exercised 
thereby. 

Rev. vii. 9-17. 

A FTER this I beheld, and, lo, a great mul- 
-iTX. titude, which no man could number, of 
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and 
tongues, stood before the throne, and befora 
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms 
in their hands : and cried with a loud voice, 
saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon 
the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the 
angels stood round about the throne, and about 
the elders and the four beasts, and fell before 
the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 
saying, Amen : Blessing, and glory, and wis- 
dom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, 
and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. 
Amen. And one of the elders answered, say- 
ing unto me, What are these which are arrayed 
in white robes ? and whence came they ? And 
I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And be 
said to me, These are they which came ont of 
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, 
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
Therefore are they before the throne of God, 
and serve him day and night in his temple ; 
and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell 
among them. They shall hunger no more, 
neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun 
light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb 



POCKET RITUAL. 



63 



which is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains 
of waters : and God shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes. 

Rev. xxi. 

AND I saw r a new heaven and a new earth; 
for the first heaven and the first earth were 
passed away ; and there was no more sea. 
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, 
coming down from God out of heaven, pre- 
pared as a bride adorned for her husband. And 
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 
Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and 
he will dwell with them, and they shall be his 
people, and God himself shall be with them, 
and be their God. And God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no 
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither 
shall there be any more pain : for the former 
things are passed away. And he that sat upon 
the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. 
And he said unto me, Write : for these words 
are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It 
is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the begin- 
ning and the end. I will give unto him that is 
athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 
He that overcometh shall inherit all things ; and 
I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But 
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, 
and murderers, and whoremongers, and sor- 
cers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their 
part in the lake which burnetii with fire and 
brimstone : which is the second death. And 



64 



THE MINISTER'S 



there came unto me one of the seven angels 
which had the seven vials full of the seven last 
plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come 
hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's 
wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to 
a great and high mountain, and shewed me that 
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out 
of heaven from God ; having the glory of God : 
and her light was like unto a stone most pre- 
cious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal ; 
and had a wall great and high, and had 
twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, 
and names written thereon, which are the 
names of the twelve tribes of the children 
of Israel : on the east three gates ; on the 
north three gates ; on the south three gates ; 
and on the west three gates. And the wall of 
the city had twelve foundations, and in them the 
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 
And he that talked with me had a golden reed 
to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and 
the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, 
and the length is as large as the breadth : and 
he measured the city with the reed, twelve 
thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth 
and the height of it are equal. And he meas- 
ured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and 
four cubits, according to the measure of a man, 
that is, of the angel. And the building of the 
wall of it was of jasper : and the city was pure 
gold, like unto clear glass. And the founda- 
tions of the wall of the city were garnished with 
all manner of precious stones. The first foun- 
dation was jasper ; the second, sapphire ; the 



POCKET RITUAL. 



65 



third, a chalcedony: the fourth, an emerald; 
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the 
seventh, chrysolite ; the eighth, beryl ; the 
ninth, a topaz ; the tenth, a chrysoprasus ; the 
eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every 
several gate was of one pearl : and the street 
of the city was pure gold, as it were transpar- 
ent glass. And I saw no temple therein : for 
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the 
temple of it. And the city had no need of the 
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it : for the 
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is 
the light thereof. And the nations of them 
which are saved shall walk in the light of it : 
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory 
and honor into it. And the gates of it shall 
not be shut at all by day : for there shall be no 
night there. And they shall bring the glory 
and honor of the nations into it. And there 
shall in no wise enter into it anything that de- 
fileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, 
or maketh a lie : but they which are written in 
the Lamb's book of life. 

Rev. xxii. 1-5. 

AND he shew r ed me a pure river of water 
of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of 
the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the 
midst of the street of it, and on either side of 
the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit 
every month : and the leaves of the tree were 
for the healing of the nations. And there shall 

6 * 



66 



THE MINISTER'S 



be no more curse : but the throne of God and 
of the Lamb shall be in it ; and his servants 
shall serve him : and they shall see his face : 
and his name shall be in their foreheads. And 
there shall be no night there ; and they need 
no candle, neither light of the sun ; for the 
Lord God giveth them light : and they shall 
reign for ever and ever. 



SECTION II. 

Select Scriptures adapted to rarioas moral States and Xeces- 
tfities. 

GOD HAS NO PLEASURE IX THE DEATH OF THE SINNER. 

HAVE I any pleasure at all that the wicked 
should die? saith the Lord God: and 
not that he should return from his ways, and 
live ? — Ezek. xviii. "23. 

For I have no pleasure in the death of him 
that dieth, saith the Lord God : wherefore turn 
yourselves, and live ye. — Ibid. v. 32. 

Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto 
the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If 
our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and 
we pine away in them, how should we then 
live I Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord 
God, I have no pleasure in the death of the 
wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way 
and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; 
for why will ye die, O house of Israel 1 — Ezek. 
xxxiii. 10, 11. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



67 



Who will have all men to be saved, and to 
come unto the knowledge of the truth. — 1 Tim. 
ii. 4. 

The Lord is not slack concerning his pro- 
mise, as some men count slackness ; but is long- 
suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should 
perish, but that all should come to repentance. 
2 Pet. hi. 9. 

For God sent not his Son into the world to 
condemn the world ; but that the world through 
him might be saved. — Jno. iii. 17. 

CHRIST DIED FOR ALL. 

HE that spared not his own Son, but de- 
livered him up for us all, how shall he 
not with him also freely give us all things ? — 
Rom. viii. 32. 

For the love of Christ constraineth us; be- 
cause we thus judge, that if one died for all, then 
were all dead : and that he died for all, that 
they which live should not henceforth live unto 
themselves, but unto him which died for them, 
and rose again. — 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 

For there is one God, and one mediator be- 
tween God and men, the man Christ Jesus ; 
who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testi- 
fied in due time. — 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. 

But we see Jesus, who was made a little 
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, 
crowned w ith glory and honor ; that he by the 
grace of God should taste death for every man. 
—Heb. ii. 9. 



63 



THE MINISTER'S. 



And he is the propitiation for our sins : and 
not for ours only, but also for the sins of the 
whole world. — 1 Jno. ii. 2. 

ALL ARE INVITED TO LOOK TO CHRIST AND LIVE. 

LOOK unto me, and be ye saved, all the 
ends of the earth : for I am God, and 
there is none else. — Isa. xlv. 22. 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters, and* he that hath no money: come ye, 
buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk 
without money and without price. — Isa. lv. 1. 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my 
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am 
meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest 
unto your souls. — Matt, xi. 28, 29. 

In the last day, that great day of the feast, 
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, 
Let him come unto me, and drink. — Jno. 
vii. 37. 

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. 
And let him that heareth say, Come. And let 
him that is athirst come. And whosoever will 
let him take the water of life freely. — Rev. 
xxii. 17. 

PROMISES OF MERCY TO THE TRULY PENITENT. 

LET Israel hope in the Lord : for with the 
Lord there is mercy, and with him is 
plenteous redemption. — Psa. cxxx. 7. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



69 



He that covereth his sins shall not prosper : 
but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall 
have mercy. — Prov. xxviii. 13. 

Come now, and let us reason together, saifh 
the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be as white as snow ; though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool. — Isa. i. 18. 

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, 
call ye upon him while he is near : let the 
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
man his thoughts : and let him return unto the 
Lord, and he will have mercy upon him : and 
to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. — 
Isa. lv. 6, 7. 

Go and proclaim these w r ords toward the 
north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, 
saith the Lord ; and I will not cause mine an- 
ger to fall upon you : for I am merciful, saith 
the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. 
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou 
hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, 
and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers 
under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed 
my voice, saith the Lord. — Jer. iii. 12, 13. 

Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast 
out. — Jno. vi. 37. 

Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye 
shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto 
you : for every one that asketh receiveth ; and 
he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knock- 
eth it shall be opened. — Matt. vii. 7, 8. 

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the 



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Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that 
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt 
be saved. — Rom. x. 9. 

SALVATION NOT BY WORKS, BUT OF GRACE. 

BUT we are all as an unclean thing, and all 
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ; and 
we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, 
like the wind, have taken us away. — Isa. lxiv. 6. 

When I shall say to the righteous, that he 
shall surely live ; if he trust to his own right- 
eousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteous- 
nesses shall not be remembered ; but for his 
iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for 
it. — Ezek. xxxiii. 13. 

For all have sinned, and come short of the 
glory of God. Being justified freely by his 
grace through the redemption that is in Christ 
Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a pro- 
pitiation through faith in his blood, to declare 
his righteousness for the remission of sins that 
are past, through the forbearance of God ; to 
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness ; 
that he might be just, and the justifier of him 
which believeth in Jesus. — Rom. iii. 23-26. 

Now to him that worketh is the reward not 
reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him 
that worketh not, but believeth on him that 
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for 
righteousness. — Rom. iv. 4, 5. 

For they, being ignorant of God's righteous- 
ness, and going about to establish their own 



POCKET RITUAL. 



71 



righteousness, have not submitted themselves 
unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is 
the end of the law for righteousness to every 
one that believeth. — Rom. x. 3, 4. 

Not by works of righteousness which we 
have done, but according to his mercy he saved 
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renew- 
ing of the Holy Ghost. — Titus iii. 5. 

For by grace are ye saved through faith ; 
and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of 
God : not of works, lest any man should boast. 
—Eph, ii. 8, 9. 

HE THAT BELIEVETH SHALL BE SAVED. 

AXD he said unto them, Go ye into all 
the world, and preach the gospel to every 
creature. He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall 
be damned. — Mark xvi. 15, 16. 

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wil- 
derness, even so must the Son of man be lifted 
up : that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved 
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life. — Jno. iii. 
14-16. 

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting 
life. — Jno. iii. 36. 

1 erily, verily, I say unto you, He that be- 
lieveth on me hath everlasting life. — Jno. vi. 47. 



72 



THE MINISTER'S 



Whom God hath set forth to be a propitia- 
tion through faith in his blood. — Rom. iii. 25. 

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the 
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that 
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt 
be saved. For with the heart man believeth 
unto righteousness ; and with the mouth con- 
fession is made unto salvation. For the Scrip- 
ture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not 
be ashamed. For there is no difference be- 
tween the Jew and the Greek : for the same 
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon 
him. For whosoever shall call upon the name 
of the Lord shall be saved. — Rom. x. 9-13. 

For by grace are ye saved through faith ; 
and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of 
God.— Eph. ii. 8. 



SANCTIFIED AFFLICTIONS A BLESSING TO THE RIGHTEOUS. 

ALTHOUGH affliction cometh not forth 
of the dust, neither doth trouble spring 
out of the ground : yet man is born unto trou- 
ble, as the sparks fly upward. — Job v. 6, 7. 

God is our refuge and strength, a very pre- 
sent help in trouble. Therefore will not we 
fear, though the earth be removed, and though 
the mountains be carried into the midst of the 
sea. — Ps. xlvi. 1, 2. 

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall 
sustain thee : he shall never suffer the righteous 
to be moved. — Ps. lv. 22. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



73 



For he hath not despised nor abhorred the 
affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid 
his face from him ; but when he cried unto him, 
he heard. — Ps. xxii. 24. 

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his 
favor is life ; weeping may endure for a night, 
but joy cometh in the morning. — Ps. xxx. 5. 

Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O 
Lord, and teachest him out of thy law ; that 
thou mayest give him rest from the days of ad- 
versity. — Ps. xciv. 12, 13. 

Before I was afflicted I went astray : but 
now have I kept thy word. — Ps. cxix. 67. 

It is good for me that I have been afflicted; 
that I might learn thy statutes. — Ps. cxix. 71. 

I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are 
right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted 
me. — Ps. cxix. 75. 

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you 
as sons : for what son is he whom the father 
chasteneth not ? Furthermore, we have had 
fathers of our flesh which corrected ns, and we 
gave them reverence : shall we not much rather 
be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and 
live ? For they verily for a few days chastened 
rafter their own pleasure; but he for our pro- 
fit, that ice might be partakers of his holiness. 
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to 
be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless, after- 
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of right- 

7 



74 



THE MINISTER'S 



eousness unto them which are exercised there- 
by.— jJe J. xii. 9-11. 

For the Lord will not cast off for ever : but 
though he cause grief, yet will he have compas- 
sion according to the multitude of his mercies. 
For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the 
children of men. — Lam. iii. 31-33. 

For our light affliction, which is but for a 
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory; while we look 
not at the things which are seen, but at the 
things which are not seen : for the things which 
are seen are temporal ; but the things which 
are not seen are eternal. — 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. 

Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? and 
why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in 
God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of 
his countenance. — Ps. xlii. 5. 

FOR A DYING BELIEVER. 

YEA, though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : 
for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they 
comfort me. — Ps. xxiii. 4. 

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the 
death of his saints. — Ps. cxvi. 15. 

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and 
afterward receive me to glory. Whom have 1 
in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon 
earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and 
my heart faileth : but God is the strength of 



POCKET RITUAL. 



mv heart, and my portion for ever. — Ps. Ixxiii. 
24-26. 

For I am now ready to be offered, and the 
time of my departure is at hand. I have 
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, 
I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid 
up for me a crown of righteousness, which the 
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that 
day : and not to me only, but unto all them 
also that love his appearing. — 2 Tim. iv. 6-8. 

And God shall wipe away all tears from 
their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, 
neither sorrow, nor crying;, neither shall there 
be any more pain : for the former things are 
passed away. — Rev. xxi. 4. 

And the Lord, he it is that doth go before 
thee ; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, 
neither forsake thee : fear not, neither be dis- 
mayed. — Deut. xxxi. 3. 

Fear thou not; for I am with thee : be not 
dismayed ; for I am thy God : I will strengthen 
thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold 
thee with the right hand of ray righteousness. 
—Isd. xli. 10. 

But now thus saith the Lord that created 
thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Is- 
rael, Fear not : for I have redeemed thee, I 
have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 
VS hen thou passest through the waters, I v:iU 
he with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall 
not overflow thee : when thou walkest through 
the fire, thou shalt not be burned : neither shall 



76 



THE MINISTER'S 



the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the 
Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy 
Saviour. — Isa. xliii. 1-3. 

For all things are for your sakes, that the 
abundant grace might through the thanksgiving 
of many redound to the glory of God. For 
which cause we faint not; but though our out- 
ward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed 
day by day. For our light affliction, which is 
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; while 
we look not at the things which are seen, but 
at the things which are not seen : for the things 
which are seen are temporal ; but the things 
which are not seen are eternal. — 2 Cor. iv. 
15-18. 

THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD. 

THE wicked is driven away in his wicked- 
ness : but the righteous hath hope in his 
death. — Prov. xiv. 32. 

Let me die the death of the righteous, and 
let my last end be like his ! — Num. xxiii. 10. 

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the 
death of his saints. — Ps. cxvi. 15. 

In thy presence is fullness of joy ; at thy 
right hand there are pleasures for evermore. — 
Ps. xvi. 11. 

Then shall the King say unto them on his 
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world. — Matt. xxv. 34. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



77 



There the wicked cease from troubling; and 
there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners 
rest together; they hear not the voice of the 
oppressor. The small and great are there; and 
the servant is free from his master. — Job iii. 
17-19. 

Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe 
in God, believe also in me. In my Father's 
house are many mansions : if it were not so, I 
would have told you. I go to prepare a place 
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for 
you, I will come again, and receive you unto 
myself; that where I am, there ye maybe also. 
Jno. xiv. 1-3. 

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast 
given me, be with me where I am; that they 
may behold my glory, which thou hast given 
me : for thou lovedst me before the foundation 
of the world. — Jno. xvii. 24. 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is 
gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the 
fruit of my labor : yet what I shall choose I 
wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, 
having a desire to depart, and to be w T ith Christ ; 
which is far better. — Phil i. 21-23. 

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying 
unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which 
die in the Lord from henceforth : yea, saith the 
Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; 
and their works do follow them. — Rev. xiv. 13. 

And God shall w r ipe away all tears from their 
eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 

7 * 



78 



THE MINISTER'S 



sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any 
more pain : for the former things are past away. 
And there shall be no night there; and they 
need no candle, neither light of the sun ; for 
the Lord God giveth them light : and they shall 
reign for ever and ever. — Rev. xxi. 4, 5. 

HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION. 

OH that my words were now written ! oh 
that they were printed in a book ! That 
they were graven with an iron pen and lead in 
the rock forever ! For I know that my Re- 
deemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the 
latter day upon the earth : and though after my 
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh 
shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, 
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another ; 
though my reins be consumed within me. — Job 
xix. 23-27. 

I have set the Lord always before me : be- 
cause he is at my right hand, I shall not be 
moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my 
glory rejoiceth : my flesh also shall rest in 
hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; 
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see 
corruption. — Psa. xvi. 8-10. 

Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, 
in the which all that are in the graves shall 
hear his voice, and shall come forth ; they that 
have done good, unto the resurrection of life; 
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrec- 
tion of damnation. — Jno. v. 28, 29. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



79 



For I reckon that the sufferings of this 
present time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory which shall be revealed" in us. For 
the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth 
for the manifestation of the sons of God. For 
the creature was made subject to vanity, not 
willingly, but by reason of him who hath sub- 
jected the same in hope ; because the creature 
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage 
of corruption into the glorious liberty of the 
children of God. For we know that the whole 
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain to- 
gether until now. And not only they, but our- 
selves also, which have the first fruits of the 
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within our- 
selves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the re- 
demption of our body. — Rom. viii. 18-23 



SECTION III. 
Forms of Prayer for the side and dy ing. 
FOR A SICK CHILD. 

O ALMIGHTY God, and merciful Father, 
to whom alone belong the issues of life 
and death ; look down from heaven, we humbly 
beseech thee, with the eyes of mercy upon this 
child, now lying upon the bed of sickness ; 
visit him, O Lord, with thy salvation ; deliver 
him in thy good appointed time from his bodily 
pain, and save his soul for thy mercies' sake : 
that, if it shall be thy pleasure to prolong his 



80 



THE MINISTER'S 



days here on earth, he may live to thee, and be 
an instrument of thy glory, by serving thee 
faithfully, and doing good in his generation ; 
or else receive him into those heavenly habita- 
tions, where the souls of those who sleep in the 
Lord Jesus enjoy perpetual rest and felicity. 
Grant this, O Lord, for thy mercies' sake, in 
the same thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy 
Ghost, ever one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

FOR A SICK PERSON, WHEN THERE A Pr EAR ETH BUT SMALL 
HOPE OF RECOVERY. 

O FATHER of mercies, and God of all 
comfort, our only help in time of need ; 
we fly unto thee for succour in behalf of this 
thy servant, here lying under thy hand in great 
weakness of body. Look graciously upon him, 
O Lord; and the more the outward man de- 
cayeth, strengthen him, we beseech thee, so 
much the more continually with thy grace and 
Holy Spirit in the inner man. Give him un- 
feigned repentance for all the errors of his life 
past, and steadfast faith in thy Son Jesus ; that 
his sins may be done away by thy mercy, and 
his pardon sealed in heaven, before he go hence, 
and be no more seen. We know, O Lord, 
that there is no word impossible with thee ; and 
that, if thou wilt, thou canst even yet raise him 
up, and grant him a longer continuance amongst 
us : Yet, forasmuch as in all appearance the 
time of his dissolution draweth near, so fit and 
prepare him, we beseech thee, against the hour 
of death, that after his departure hence in 



POCKET RITUAL. 



81 



peace, and in thy favour, his soul may be re- 
ceived into thine everlasting kingdom ; through 
the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ thine 
only Son, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

FOR A SICK PERSON AT THE POINT OF DEPARTURE. 

O ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live 
the spirits of just men made perfect, after 
they are delivered from their earthly prisons ; 
we humbly commend the soul of this thy ser- 
vant, our dear brother, into thy hands, as into 
the hands of a faithful Creator, and most mer- 
ciful Saviour; most humbly beseeching thee, 
that it may be precious in thy sight. Wash it, 
we pray thee, in the blood of that immaculate 
Lamb, that was slain to take away the sins of 
the world ; that whatsoever defilements it may 
have contracted in the midst of this miserable 
and sinful world, through the lusts of the flesh, 
or the wiles of Satan, being purged and done 
away, it may be presented pure and without 
spot before thee. And teach us who survive, 
in this, and other like daily spectacles of mor- 
tality, to see how frail and uncertain our own 
condition is ; and so to number our days, that 
we may seriously apply our hearts to that holy 
and heavenly wisdom, whilst we live here, which 
may in the end bring us to life everlasting ; 
through the merits of Jesus Christ thine only 
Son our Lord. Amen. 

FOR ONE DEEPLY TROUBLED IN MIND ON ACCOUNT OF PAST 

SINS. 

O BLESSED Lord, the Father of mercies, 
and the God of all comfort, we beseech 
thee, look down in pity and compassion upon 



82 



THE MINISTER'S 



this thy afflicted servant. Thou writest bitter 
things against him, and makest him to possess 
his former iniquities ; thy wrath lieth hard upon 
him, and his soul is full of trouble. But, O 
merciful God, who hast written thy holy Word 
for our learning, that we, through patience and 
comfort of thy holy Scriptures, might have 
hope; give him a right understanding of him- 
self, and of thy threats and promises; that he 
may neither cast away his confidence in thee, 
nor place it any where but in thee. Give 
him strength against all his temptations, and 
heal all his diseases. Break not the bruised 
reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Shut not 
up thy tender mercies in displeasure ; but make 
him to hear of joy and gladness, that the bones 
which thou hast broken may rejoice. Deliver 
him from fear of the enemy, and lift up the 
light of thy countenance upon him and give 
him peace through the merits and mediation of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



83 



CHAPTER VII. 

SCRIPTURE LESSONS APPROPRIATE FOR FZTNERAE 
OCCASIONS.* 

I I. — BURIAL OF SARAH — GEN. XXIII. 

AND Sarah was a hundred and seven and 
twenty years old : these were the years of 
the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba ; 
the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan : and 
Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep 
for her. And Abraham stood up from above his 
head, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you : give 
me a possession of a burying-place with you, 
that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, 
saying unto him, Hear us, my lord : thou art a 
mighty prince among us : in the choice of our 
sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall 
withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou 
mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham stood up, 
and bowed himself to the people of the land, 
even to the children of Heth. And he com- 
muned with them, saying, If it be your mind 

* These lessons are intended for use by those who prefer an 
appropriate and connect- d portion of the Scriptures, instead 
of passages collected from various places, as in the next chap- 
ter. 



84 



THE MINISTER'S 



that I should bury my dead out of my sight, 
hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son 
of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of 
Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end 
of his field ; for as much money as it is worth 
he shall give it me for a possession of a burying- 
place amongst you. * And the field of 

Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was 
before Mamre, the field, and the cave which 
was therein, and all the trees that were in the 
field, that were in all the borders round about, 
were made sure unto Abraham for a possession 
in the presence of the children of Heth, before 
all that went in at the gate of his city. And 
after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the 
cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre : 
the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. 
And the field and the cave that is therein, were 
made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a 
burying-place by the sons of Heth. 

\ II. — BURIAL OF JACOB — GEN. XLIX.-L. 

ALL these are the twelve tribes of Israel : 
and this is it that their father spake unto 
them, and blessed them ; every one according to 
his blessing he blessed them. And he charged 
them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered 
unto my people : bury me with my fathers in 
the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hit- 
tite, in the cave that is in the field of Mach- 
pelah, which is before Mamre in the land of 
Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field 
of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a 



POCKET RITUAL. 



85 



burying-place. There they buried Abraham 
and Sarah his wife : there the)' buried Isaac 
and Rebekah his wife ; and there I buried 
Leah. The purchase of the field and of the 
cave that is therein was from the children of 
Heth. And when Jacob had made an end of 
commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet 
into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was 
gathered unto his people. 

AND Joseph fell upon his father's face, and 
wept upon him, and kissed him. And 
Joseph commanded his servants the physicians 
to embalm his father : and the physicians em- 
balmed Israel. And forty days w T ere fulfilled 
for him ; for so are fulfilled the days of those 
which are embalmed : and the Egyptians 
mourned for him threescore and ten days. 
And when the days of his mourning were past, 
Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, say- 
ing, If now I have found grace in your eyes, 
speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, say- 
ing, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I 
die : in my grave which I have digged for me 
in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury 
me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, 
and bury my father, and I will come again. 
And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, 
according as he made thee swear. And Joseph 
went up to bury his father : and with him went 
up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his 
house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 
and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, 
and his father's house : only their little ones, 

8 



86 



THE MINISTER^ 



and their flocks, and their herds, they left in 
the land of Goshen. And there went up with 
him both chariots and horsemen : and it was a 
very great company. And they came to the 
threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond Jor- 
dan : and there they mourned with a great and 
very sore lamentation : and he made a mourn- 
ing for his father seven days. And when the 
inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the 
mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, this 
is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians : 
wherefore the name of it was called Abel- 
mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. And his 
sons did unto him according as he commanded 
them : for his sons carried him into the land 
of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the 
field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought 
with the field for a possession of a burying- 
place of Ephron the Hittite, before Mam re. 

$ III. — THE DEATH OF ABSALOM— 2 SAM. XYIII. 

AND, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, 
Tidings, my lord, the kin^r: tor the Lord 
hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose 
up against thee. And the kins; said unto Cushi. 
Is the young man Absalom safe ? And Cushi 
answered, The enemies of my lord, the king, 
and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be 
as that young man is. And the king was much 
moved, and went up to the chamber over the 
gate, and wept: and as he wept, thus he said. 
O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! 
would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, 
my son, my son ! 



POCKET RITUAL. 



87 



\ IV. — THE AFFLICTIONS OF JOB — JOB I. 

Hp HERE was a man in the land of Uz, whose 
JL name was Job ; and that man was perfect 
and upright, and one that feared God, and es- 
chewed evil. And there were born unto him 
seven sons and three daughters. His substance 
also was seven thousand sheep, and three thou- 
sand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, 
and five hundred she asses, and a very great 
household ; so that this man was the greatest 
of all the men of the east. And his sons went 
and feasted in their houses, every one his day; 
and sent and called for their three sisters to eat 
and to drink with them. And it was so, when 
the days of their feasting were gone about, that 
Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early 
in the morning, and offered burnt offerings ac- 
cording to the number of them all : for Job 
said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and 
cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job 
continually. Now there was a day when the 
sons of God came to present themselves be- 
fore the Lord, and Satan came also among 
them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence 
comest thou ? Then Satan answered the Lord, 
and said, From going to and fro in the earth, 
and from walking up and down in it. And the 
Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered 
my servant Job, that there is none like him in 
the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that 
feareth God, and escheweth evil ? Then Satan 
answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear 
God for nought ? Hast not thou made a hedge 
about him, and about his house, and about all 



88 



THE MINISTER'S. 



that he hath on every side ? thou hast blessed 
the work of his hands, and his substance is in- 
creased in the land. But put forth thine hand 
now, and touch all that he hath, and he will 
curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said 
unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy 
power; only upon himself put not forth thine 
hand. So Satan went forth from the presence 
of the Lord. And there w r as a day when his 
sons and his daughters were eating and drink- 
ing wine in their eldest brother's house : and 
there came a messenger unto Job, and said, 
The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feed- 
ing beside them : and the Sabeans fell upon 
them, and took them away; yea, they have 
slain the servants with the edge of the sword ; 
and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While 
he was yet speaking, there came also another, 
and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, 
and hath burned up the sheep, and the ser- 
vants, and consumed them ; and I only am es- 
caped alone to tell thee. While he ivas yet 
speaking, there came also another, and said, 
The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell 
upon the camels, and have carried them away, 
yea, and slain the servants with the edge of 
the sword ; and I only am escaped alone to 
tell thee. While he teas yet speaking, there 
came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy 
daughters were eating and drinking wine in 
their eldest brother's house : and, behold, there 
came a great wind from the wilderness, and 
smote the four corners of the house, and it fell 
upon the young men, and they are dead ; and 



POCKET RITUAL. 



89 



I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then 
Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his 
head, and fell down upon the ground and wor- 
shipped, and said, Naked came I out of my 
mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither ; 
the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; 
blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this 
Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. 

* CD J 

\ V.— job's extreme anguish of SPIRIT — JOB III. 

AFFTER this opened Job his mouth, and 
cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, 
Let the day perish wherein I was born, and 
the night in which it was said, There is a man 
child conceived. Let that day be darkness; 
let not God regard it from above, neither let 
the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the 
shadow of death stain it ; let a cloud dwell 
upon it ; let the blackness of the day terrify it. 
As for that night, let darkness seize upon it ; 
let it not be joined unto the days of the year; 
let it not come into the number of the months. 
Lo, let that night be solitary ; let no joyful 
voice come therein. Let them curse it that 
curse the day, who are ready to raise up their 
mourning. Let the stars of the twilight thereof 
be dark; let it look for light, but have none; 
neither let it see the dawning of the day : be- 
cause it shut not up the doors of my mothers 
womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. Why 
died I not from the womb 1 why did I not give 
up the ghost when I came out of the belly ? 
Why did the knees prevent me ? or why the 
breasts that I should suck ? For now should I 
8 * 



90 



THE MINISTER'S 



have lain still and been quiet, I should have 
slept : then I had been at rest, with kings and 
counsellors of the earth, which built desolate 
places for themselves ; or with princes that had 
gold, who filled their houses with silver ; or as 
a hidden untimely birth I had not been ; as in- 
fants which never saw light. There the wicked 
cease from troubling ; and there the weary be 
at rest. There the prisoners rest together; 
they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The 
small and great are there ; and the servant is 
free from his master. 

\ VL — BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE — JOB XIV. 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he fleeth 
also as a shadow, and continueth not. And 
dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and 
bring me into judgment with thee ? Who can 
bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one. 
Seeing his days are determined, the number of 
his months are with thee, thou hast appointed 
his bounds that he cannot pass; turn from him, 
that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as a 
hireling, his day. For there is hope of a tree, 
if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and 
that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 
Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, 
and the stock thereof die in the ground ; yet 
through the scent of water it will bud, and 
bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, 
and wasteth away : yea, man giveth up the 



POCKET RITUAL. 



91 



ghost, and where is he ? As the waters fall 
from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth 
up; so man lieth down, and riseth'not: till the 
heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor 
be raised out of their sleep. Oh that thou 
wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou 
wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be 
past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, 
and remember me ! If a man die, shall he live 
again ? all the days of my appointed time will 
I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, 
and I will answer thee : thou wilt have a desire 
to the work of thine hands. For now thou 
numberest my steps : dost thou not watch over 
my sins ? My transgression is sealed up in a 
bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity. And 
surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, 
and the rock is removed out of his place. The 
waters wear the stones : thou washest away the 
things which grow out of the dust of the earth ; 
and thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou 
prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth : 
thou changest his countenance, and sendest him 
away. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth 
it not ; and they are brought low, but he per- 
ceiveth it not of them. But his flesh upon 
him shall have pain, and his soul within him 
shall mourn. 

\ VII. — THE FRAILTY OF MAX — PS. XC. 

LORD thou hast been our dwelling-place in 
all generations. Before the mountains 
were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed 
the earth and the world, even from everlasting 



92 



THE MINISTER'S 



to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest 
man to destruction ; and sayest, Return, ye 
children of men. For a thousand years in thy 
sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and 
as a watch in the night. Thou earnest them 
away as with a flood : they are as a sleep : in 
the morning they are like grass which groweth 
up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth 
up ; in the evening it is cut down, and with- 
ereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, 
and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast 
set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in 
the light of thy countenance. For all our days 
are passed away in thy wrath : we spend our 
years as a tale that is told. The days of our 
years are threescore years and ten ; and if by 
reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet 
is their strength labor and sorrow ; for it is soon 
cut off, and w r e fly away. Who knoweth the 
power of thine anger ? even according to thy 
fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number 
our days, that we may apply our hearts unto 
wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long ? and let 
it repent thee concerning thy servants. Oh 
satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may 
rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad 
according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted 
us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. 
Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and 
thy glory unto their children. And let the 
beauty of the Lord our God be upon us : and 
establish thou the work of our hands upon us ; 
yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



93 



| VIII. — DEATH AND RESURRECTION" OF LAZARUS— 
JXO. XI. 

TVTOW a certain man was sick, named Laza- 
JL 1 rus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and 
her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which 
anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his 
feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was 
sick). * Now Jesus loved Martha, and 
her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard 
therefore that he was sick, he abode two days 
still in the same place where he was. Then 
after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go 
into Judea again. * * And after that he 
saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; 
but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. 
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he 
shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spoke of his 
death : but they thought that he had spoken 
of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus 
unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I 
am glad for your sakes that I was not there, 
to the intent ye may believe ; nevertheless, 
let us go unto him. * * Then when 
Jesus came, he found that he had lain in 
the grave four days already. (Now Bethany 
was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs 
off*). And many of the Jews came to Martha 
and Mary, to comfort them concerning their 
brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard 
that Jesus was coming, went and met him : but 
Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha 
unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my 
brother had not died. But I know that even 
now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God 



94 



THE MINISTER'S 



will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy 
brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto 
him, I know that he shall rise again in the re- 
surrection at the last day. Jesus saith unto 
her, I am the resurrection and the life : he that 
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall 
he live : and whosoever liveth, and believeth 
in me, shall never die. Believest thou this ? 
She saith unto him, Yea, Lord : I believe that 
thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which 
should come into the world. * * * Then 
when Mary was come where Jesus was, and 
saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto 
him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother 
had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her 
weeping, and the Jews also weeping which 
came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was 
troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him ? 
They say unto him, Lord, come and see. 
Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how 
he loved him ! And some of them said, Could 
not this man, which opened the eyes of the 
blind, have caused that even this man should 
not have died ? Jesus therefore again groaning 
in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave, 
and a stone laid upon it. Jesus said, Take ye 
away the stone. * * Then they took away 
the stone from the place where the dead was 
laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, 
Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me : 
and I knew that thou hearest me always : but 
because of the people which stand by, I said 
itj that they may believe that thou hast sent 
me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried 



POCKET RITUAL. 



95 



with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ! And 
he that was dead came forth, bound hand and 
foot with grave-clothes : and his face was bound 
about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, 
Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the 
Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the 
things which Jesus did, believed on him. 

? IX. — THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD — 1 COR. XV. 

NOW if Christ be preached that he rose from 
the dead, how say some among you that 
there is no resurrection of the dead ? But if 
there be no resurrection of the dead, then is 
Christ not risen : and if Christ be not risen, 
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is 
also vain. Yea, and we are found false wit- 
nesses of God ; because we have testified of 
God that he raised up Christ : whom he raised 
not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if 
the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised : 
and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; 
ye are yet in your sins. Then they also w r hich 
are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in 
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are 
of all men most miserable. But now is Christ 
risen from the dead, and become the first fruits 
of them that slept. For since by man came 
death, by man came also the resurrection of 
the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in 
Christ shall all be made alive. But some man 
will say, How are the dead raised up? and with 
what body do they come I Thou fool, that 
which thou sowest is not quickened, except it 
die : and that which thou sowest, thou sowest 



96 



THE MINISTER'S 



not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it 
may chance of wheat, or of some other grain : 
but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, 
and to every seed his own body. All flesh is 
not the same flesh ; but there is one kind of 
flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another 
of fishes, and another of birds. There are also 
celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial ; but the 
glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of 
the terrestrial is another. There is one glory 
of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and 
another glory of the stars ; for one star diflfereth 
from another star in glory. So also is the res- 
urrection of the dead. It is sown in corrup- 
tion, it is raised in incorruption : it is sown in 
dishonour, it is raised in glory : it is sown in 
weakness, it is raised in power : it is sown a 
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There 
is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 
And so it is written, The first man Adam was 
made a living soul ; the last Adam was made a 
quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first 
wdiich is spiritual, but that which is natural; 
and afterward that which is spiritual. The first 
man is of the earth, earthy : the second man is 
the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such 
are they also that are earthy : and as is the 
heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, 
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood 
cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither 
doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, 
I shew you a mystery ; we shall not all sleep, 



POCKET RITUAL. 



97 



but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in 
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : for 
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be 
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, 
and this mortal must put on immortality. So 
when this corruptible shall have put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal shall have put on im- 
mortality, then shall be brought to pass the say- 
ing that is written, Death is swallowed up in 
victory. O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, 
where is thy victory ? The sting of death is 
sin ; and the strength of sin is the law. But 
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, 
my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovea- 
ble, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not 
in vain in the Lord. 

? X — HAPPY STATE OF THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD * 

FOR we know that, if our earthly house of 
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a 
building of God, a house not made w r ith hands, 
eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, 
earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our 
house which is from heaven : if so be that 
being clothed we shall not be found naked. 
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, 
being burdened : not for that we would be un- 



* For additional lessons under this head, see pages 62 to 66 ; 
and for lessons appropriate to the burial of children, ste next 
chapter, sections 2 and 3. 

9 * 



98 



THE MINISTER'S 



clothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might 
be swallowed up of life. — 2 Cor. v. 1-4. 

But I would not have you to be ignorant, 
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, 
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have 
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died 
and rose again, even so them also which sleep 
in Jesus will God bring with him. For this 
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, 
that we which are alive and remain unto the 
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them 
which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall 
descend from heaven with a shout, with the 
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of 
God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first : 
then we which are alive and remain shall be 
caught up together with them in the clouds, to 
meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever 
be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one an- 
other with these words. — 1 Thes. iv. 13-18. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



99 



CHAPTER VIII. 

BURIAL SERVICES. 

^ These services are designed to be used at the house of the deceased, 
where no sermon is preached, and where such a selection is pre- 
ferred to a compact lesson, like those of the preceding chapter. 
They are designedly quite full, to allow of the omission of 
more or less, as time and circumstances may require, at the 
discretion of the pastor. 

SECTION I 
Service for the burial of a child, 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down ; he fleeth 
also as a shadow, and continueth not. — Job 
xiv. 1, 2. 

As for man, his days are as grass : as a flower 
of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind 
passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the place 
thereof shall know it no more. — Psa. ciii. 15, 16. 

I have said to corruption, Thou art my 
father : to the worm, Thou art my mother, and 
my sister. — Job xvii. 14. 

A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, 
and bitter weeping : Rachel weeping for her 
children, refused to be comforted for her chil- 
dren, because they were not. — Jer. xxxi. 15. 

Although affliction cometh not forth of the 



100 



THE MINISTER'S 



dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the 
ground : yet man is born unto trouble, as the 
sparks fly upward. — Job v. 6, 7. 

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sack- 
cloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son 
many days. And all his sons and all his daugh- 
ters rose up to comfort him ; but he refused to 
be comforted ; and he said, For I will go down 
into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus 
his father wept for him. — Gen. xxxvii. 34, 35. 

AND Nathan departed unto his house. And 
the Lord struck the child that Uriah's 
wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 
David therefore besought God for the child : 
and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night 
upon the earth. And the elders of his house 
arose, and went to him, to raise him up from 
the earth : but he would not, neither did he eat 
bread with them. And it came to pass on the 
seventh day, that the child died. And the ser- 
vants of David feared to tell him that the child 
was dead : for they said, Behold, while the 
child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he 
would not hearken unto our voice : how will he 
then vex himself, if we tell him that the child I 
is dead ? But when David saw that his ser- 
vants whispered, David perceived that the child 
was dead : therefore David said unto his ser- 
vants, Is the child dead ? And they said, He 
is dead. Then David arose from the earth, 
and washed, and anointed himself, and changed 
his apparel, and came into the house of the 
Lord, and worshipped : then he came to his 



POCKET RITUAL. 



101 



own house; and when he required, they set 
bread before him, and he did eat. 

Then said his servants unto him, What thing 
is this that thou hast done ? thou didst fast and 
weep for the child, while it was alive ; but when 
the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat 
bread. And he said, while the child was yet 
alive, I fasted and wept ; for I said, Who can 
tell whether God will be gracious to me, that 
the child may live ? But now he is dead, where- 
fore should I fast ? can I bring him back again ? 
I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 
—2 Sam. xii. 16-23. 

Remarks or address. 

^ If no service is to be had at the grave, the address may conclude 
with the following : 

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty 
God, in His wise providence, to take out 
of this world the soul of the departed,* we com- 
mit his body to the ground ; earth to earth, ashes 
to ashes, dust to dust; looking for the general 
resurrection in the last day, and the life of the 
world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ ; 
at whose second coming in glorious majesty to 
judge the world, the earth and the sea shall 
give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies 
of those who sleep in Him shall be changed, 
and made like unto His own glorious body ; 
according to the mighty working whereby He 
is able to subdue all things unto Himself. 

Prayer and benediction. 



* Or of our departed brother, in other cases. 
9 * 



102 



THE MINISTER'S 



SECTION 14: 

A Second Service for the Burial of a CJiild. 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he 
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. — 
Job xiv. 1, 2. 

As for man, his days are as grass : as a flower 
of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind 
passeth over it, and it is gone : and the place 
thereof shall know it no more. — Ps. ciii. 15, 16. 

I have said to corruption, Thou art may 
father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and 
my sister. — Job xvii. 14. 

A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, 
and bitter weeping : Rachel weeping for her 
children, refused to be comforted for her chil- 
dren, because they were not. — Jer. xxxi. 15. 

And when the child was grown, it fell on a 
day, that he went out to his father to the reap- 
ers. And he said unto his father, My head, 
my head ! And he said to a lad, Carry him to 
his mother. And when he had taken him, and 
brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees 

O J 

till noon, and then died. And she went up, 
and laid him on the bed of the man of God, 
and shut the door upon him, and went out. 
And she called unto her husband, and said, 
Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, 
and one of the asses, that I may run to the man 
of God, and come again. And he said, Where- 



POCKET RITUAL. 



103 



fore wilt thou go to him to-day ? it is neither 
new moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall 
be well. Then she saddled an ass, and said to 
her servant, Drive, and go forward ; slack not 
thy riding for me, except I bid thee. So she 
w r ent, and came unto the man of God to mount 
Carmel. And it came to pass, w^hen the man 
of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi 
his servant, Behold, yonder /sthat Shunammite: 
run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say 
unto her, Is it well with thee ? is it well with 
thy husband 1 is it well with the child ? And 
she answered, It is well. — 2 Kings iv. 18-26. 

I was dumb, I opened not my mouth ; be- 
cause thou didst it. — Ps. xxxix. 9. 

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord. — 
Job i. 21. 



IF a man die shall he live again 1—Job xiv. 14. 
There shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and unjust. — Acts xxiv. 15. 

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and be- 
come the first-fruits of them that slept. For 
since by man came death, by man came also the 
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
— 1 Cor. xv. 20-23. 

There is one glory of the sun, and another 
glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
stars ; for one star differeth from another star 
in glory. So also is the resurrection of the 
dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in 



104 



THE MINISTER'S 



incorruption : it is sown in dishonor, it is raised 
in glory : it is sown in weakness, it is raised in 
power : it is sown a natural body, it is raised a 
spiritual body. There is a natural body, and 
there is a spiritual body. * * * For this cor- 
ruptible must put on incorruption, and this mor- 
tal must put on immortality. — 1 Cor. xv. 41- 
44, 53. 

And they brought young children to him, 
that he should touch them ; and his disciples 
rebuked those that brought them. But w r hen 
Jesus saw it 9 he was much displeased, and said 
unto them, Suffer the little children to come 
unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is 
the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, 
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of 
God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 
And he took them up in his arms, put his 
hands upon them, and blessed them. — Mark 
x. 13-16. 

I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead 
who die in the Lord. — Rev. xiv. 13. 

Take heed that ye despise not one of these 
little ones ; for I say unto you, That in heaven 
their angels do always behold the face of my 
Father which is in heaven. Even so it is not 
the will of your Father which is in heaven, that 
one of these little ones should perish. — Matt. 
xviii. 10, 14. 

Remarks or address. 

If there is to be no service at the grave, the address may conclude 
with the brief service, Section I., and with 

Prayer and benediction. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



105 



SECTION 111, 

For a sudden death or the funeral of a young person, 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he fleeth also 
as a shadow, and continueth not. — Job xiv. 1, 2. 

As for man, his days are as grass : as a 
flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the 
wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the 
place thereof shall know it no more.- — Ps. ciii. 
15, 16. 

Thou earnest them away as with a flood ; 
they are as a sleep : in the morning they are 
like grass which groweth up. In the morning 
it flourisheth, and groweth up ; in the evening 
it is cut down, and withereth. — Ps. xc. 5, 6. 

Behold, thou hast made my days as an hand- 
breadth; and mine age is as nothing before 
thee : verily every man at his best state is alto- 
gether vanity. — Ps. xxxix. 5. 

For we are strangers before thee, and sojour- 
ners, as were all our fathers; our days on the earth 
are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. — 
1 Chron. xxix. 15. 

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth 
away; so he that goeth down to the grave 
shall come up no more. He shall return no 
more to his house, neither shall his place know 
him any more. — Job vii. 9, 10. 

So man lieth down, and riseth not ; till the 
heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor 
be raised out of their sleep. — Job xiv. 12. 



106 



THE MINISTER'S 



Now my days are swifter than a post : they 
flee away, they see no good. They are passed 
away as the swift ships : as the eagle that 
haste th to the prey. — Job ix. 25, 26. 

We spend our years as a tale that is told. 
The days of our years are threescore years and 
ten ; and if by reason of strength they be four- 
score years, yet is their strength labor and sor- 
row ; for it is soon cut off and we fly away. — 
Ps. xc. 9, 10. 

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, 
and are spent without hope. — Job vii. 6. 

Boast not thyself of to-morrow ; for thou 
knowest not what a day may bring forth. — 
Prov. xxvii. 1. 

Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow 
we will go into such a city, and continue there 
a year, and buy and sell, and get gain : whereas 
ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For 
what is your life ? It is even a vapor, that ap- 
peareth for a little time, and then vanisheth 
away. — James iv. 13, 14. 

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as 
fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because 
the days are evil. — Eph. v. 15. 

For man also knoweth not his time : as the 
fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the 
birds that are caught in the snare ; so are the 
sons of men snared in an evil time, when it 
falleth suddenly upon them. — Eccl. ix. 12. 

There is but a step between me and death. — 
1 Sam. xx. 3. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



107 



Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it 
with thy might; for there is no work, nor 
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave 
whither thou goest. — Eccle. ix. 10. 

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the 
measure of my days, what it is ; that I may 
know how frail I am. — Ps. xxxix. 4. 

So teach us to number our days, that we 
may apply our hearts unto wisdom. — Ps. 
xc. 12. 

^[ Remarks or address. 

If there is to be no service at the grave, the address may conclude 
with the brief service, " Forasmuch as it hath pleased Al- 
mighty God," &c, Section 1, and with 

^[ Prayer and the benediction. 



SECTION IV. 
Service for an ordinary funeral, 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he 
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. — 
Job xiv. 1, 2. 

What man is he that liveth, and shall not see 
death ? shall he deliver his soul from the hand 
of the grave ? — Ps. lxxxix. 48. 

They that trust in their wealth, and boast 
themselves in the multitude of their riches; 
None of them can by any means redeem his 
brother, nor give to God a ransom for him : 



108 



THE MINISTER^ 



that he should still live forever, and not see cor- 
ruption. For wise men die, likewise the fool 
and the brutish person perish, and leave their 
wealth to others. — Ps. xlix. 6, 7, 9, 10. 

As for man, his days are as grass : as a flower 
of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind 
passeth over it, and it is gone : and the place 
thereof shall know it no more. — Ps.ciii. 15, 16. 

Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he 
passeth : thou changest his countenance, and 
sendest him away. His sons come to honour, 
and he knoweth it not ; and they are brought 
low, but he perceiveth it not of them. — Job 
xiv. 20, 21. 

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth 
away ; so he that goeth down to the grave 
shall come up no more. He shall return no 
more to his house, neither shall his place know 
him any more. — Job vii. 9, 10. 

So man lieth down and riseth not ; till the 
heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor 
be raised out of their sleep. Our fathers, 
where are they ? and the prophets, do they live 
for ever? — Zech. i. 5. 

I have said to corruption, Thou art my 
father : to the worm, Thou art my mother, and 
my sister. — Job xvii. 14. 

For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, 
and to the house appointed for all living. — Job 
xxx. 23. 

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it 



POCKET RITUAL. 



109 



was : and the spirit shall return unto God who 
gave it. — Eccl. xii. 7. 

IF a man die, shall he live again ? all the 
days of my appointed time will I wait, till 
my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will 
answer thee : thou wilt have a desire to the 
work of thine hands. — Job xiv. 14, 15. 

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and 
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
earth : and though after my skin worms destroy 
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : 
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold, and not another ; though my reins 
be consumed within me. Job xix. 25-27. 

There shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and unjust. — Acts xxiv. 15. 

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from 
the dead, how say some among you that there 
is no resurrection of the dead? But now is 
Christ risen from the dead, and become the 
first-fruits of them that slept. For since by 
man came death, by man came also the resur- 
rection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, 
even so in Christ shall all be made alive. — 1 
Cor. xv. 12, 20-22. 

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, 
and this mortal must put on immortality. — 1 Cor. 
xv. 53. 

Remarks or address. 

r If there is to be no service at the grave, the address may conclude 
vjith the brief service, "Forasmuch as it hath pleased Al- 
mighty G-od, &c.," Sec. I., and with 

r Prayer and the benediction. 

10 



110 



THE MINISTER'S 



SECTION V. 

For an aged person.* 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he 
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. — 
Job xiv. 1, 2. 

There is no man that hath power over the 
spirit to retain the spirit ; neither hath he power 
in the day of death ; and there is no discharge 
in that war ; neither shall wickedness deliver 
those that are given to it. — Eccl. viii. 8. 

One dieth in his full strength, being wholly 
at ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk, 
and his bones are moistened with marrow. 
And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, 
and never eateth with pleasure. They shall 
lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall 
cover them. — Job xxi. 23-26. 

What man is he that liveth, and shall not 
see death ? shall he deliver his soul from the 
hand of the grave ? — Ps. Ixxxix. 48. 

They that trust in their wealth, and boast 
themselves in the multitude of their riches; 
None of them can by any means redeem his 
brother, nor give to God a ransom for him : 



* It will add greatly to the interest of the occasion where 
this service is used, for the minister to accompany the several 
verses of the closing portion with brief explanations as he 
passes through it. Probably few commentators have done 
the chapter better justice, than has Dr. Adam Clarke, to 
whose notes we respectfully refer. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



Ill 



that he should still live forever, and not see cor- 
ruption. — Ps. xlix. 6, 7, 9. 

Is there not an appointed time to man upon 
earth ? are not his days also like the days of a 
hireling? — Job vii. 1. 

His days are determined, the number of his 
months are with thee, thou hast appointed his 
bounds that he cannot pass. — Job xiv. 5. 

Thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou 
prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth : 
thou changest his countenance, and sendest him 
away. — Job xiv. 19, 20. 

We spend our years as a tale that is told. 
The days of our years are threescore years and 
ten ; and if by reason of strength they be four- 
score years, yet is their strength labour and 
sorrow ; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 
— Ps. xc. 9, 10. 

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the 
measure of my days, what it is ; that I may 
know how frail I am. — Ps. xxxix. 4. 



"O EMEMBER now thy Creator in the days 
JLV of thy youth, while the evil days come 
not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt 
say, I have no pleasure in them ; while the sun, 
or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not 
darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain : 
in the day when the keepers of the house shall 
tremble, and the strong men shall bow them- 
selves, and the grinders cease because they are 
few, and those that look out of the windows be 



112 



THE MINISTER'S 



darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the 
streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, 
and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, 
and all the daughters of music shall be brought 
low; also when they shall be afraid of that 
which is high and fears shall be in the way, 
and the almond tree shall flourish, and the 
grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall 
fail : because man goeth to his long home, and 
the mourners go about the streets : or ever the 
silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
broken, or the pitcher be broken at the foun- 
tain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then 
shall the dust return to the earth as it was : and 
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. — 
Eccl. xii. 1-7. 

^[ Remarks or address. 

If there is to be no service at the grave, follow address with the 
brief service. Section I., or with the full burial service. Other, 
wise, extempore prayer, and the benediction, and the full ser- 
vice at the grave. 



SECTION VI. 
Far a Middle-aged Christian, 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down ; he fleeth 
also as a shadow, and continueth not. — Job 
xiv. 1, 2. 

As for man, his days are as grass : as a flower 
of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind 
passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the place 
thereof shall know it no more. — Psa. ciii. 15, 16. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



113 



For we are strangers before thee, and sojour- 
ners, as were all our fathers ; our days on the earth 
are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. — 
1 Chron. xxix. 15. 

For what is your life ? It is even a vapor, 
that appeareth for a little time, and then van- 
isheth away. — Jas. iv. 14. 

I have said to corruption, Thou art my 
father : to the worm, Thou art my mother, and 
my sister. — Job xvii. 14. 

BUT I w r ould not have you to be ignorant, 
brethren, concerning them which are 
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which 
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died 
and rose again, even so them also which sleep 
in Jesus will God bring with him. — 1 Thess. 
iv. 13. 

The wicked is driven away in his wicked- 
ness : but the righteous hath hope in his death. 
— Prov. xiv. 32. 

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the 
death of his saints. — Ps. cxvi. 15. 

For we know that, if our earthly house of 
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a 
building of God, an house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens. — 2 Cor. v. 1. 

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying 
unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which 
die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith 
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; 
and their works do follow them.— Rev. xiv. 13. 
10 * 



114 



THE MINISTER'S 



Therefore we are always confident, knowing 
that, whilst we are at home in the body, we 
are absent from the Lord. We are confident, 
I say, and willing rather to be absent from the 
body, and to be present with the Lord. — 2 Cor. 
v. 6. 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, 
and come to Zion with songs and everlasting 
joy upon their heads : they shall obtain joy 
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall 
flee away. — Isa. xxxv. 10. 

And God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any 
more pain : for the former things are passed 
away. — Rev. xxi. 4. 

And there shall be no night there ; and they 
need no candle, neither light of *the sun ; for 
the Lord God giveth them light : and they shall 
reign for ever and ever. — Rev. xxii. 5. 

These are they which came out of great 
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
Therefore are they before the throne of God, 
and serve him day and night in his temple : and 
he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among 
them. They shall hunger no more, neither 
thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is 
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and 
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters : 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes. — Rev. vii. 14-17. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



115 



Let me die the death of the righteous, and 
let my last end be like his ! — Num. xxiii. 10. 

Remarks or address. 

If there is to be no service at the grave, then use the regular 
service, page 101, from " Forasmuch as it hath pleased Al- 
mighty God," &c. Otherwise, extempore prayer, and the 
benediction, and the full service at the grave. 



SECTION VII. 
For an Aged Cliristian. 

MAN that is born of a woman is of few 
days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he fleeth also 
as a shadow, and continueth not. — Job xiv. 1, 2. 

The days of our years are threescore years 
and ten ; and if by reason of strength they be 
fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and 
sorrow ; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 
— Ps. xc. 9, 10. 

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth 
away; so he that goeth down to the grave 
shall come up no more. He shall return no 
more to his house, neither shall his place know 
him any more. — Job vii. 9, 10. 

Our fathers, where are they ? and the pro- 
phets, do they live for ever? — Zech. i. 5. 

As for man, his days are as grass : as a 
flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the 
wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the 



116 



THE MINISTER^ 



place thereof shall know it no more. — Ps. ciii. 
15, 16. 

I have said to corruption, Thou art my 
father : to the worm, Thou art my mother, and 
my sister. — Job xvii. 14. 

Remember now thy Creator in the days of 
thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor 
the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I 
have no pleasure in them. While the sun, or 
the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not 
darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain : 
In the day when the keepers of the house shall 
tremble, and the strong men shall bow them- 
selves, and the grinders cease because they are 
few, and those that look out of the windows be 
darkened. And the doors shall be shut in the 
streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, 
and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, 
and all the daughters of music shall be brought 
low : also when they shall be afraid of that 
which is high, and fears shall be in the way, 
and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grass- 
hopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail : 
because man goeth to his long home, and the 
mourners go about the streets : or ever the sil- 
ver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
broken, or the pitcher be broken at the foun- 
tain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then 
shall the dust return to the earth as it was : and 
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. — 
Eccle. xii. 1-7. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



117 



TF a man die shall he live again ? all the 
JL days of my appointed time will I wait, till 
my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will 
answer thee : thou wile have a desire to the 
work of thine hands.— Job xiv. 14, 15. 

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and 
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
earth : and though after my skin worms destroy 
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : 
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold, and not another ; though my reins 
be consumed within me. — Job xix. 25-27. 

There shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and unjust. — Acts xxiv. 15. 

For since by man came death, by man came 
also the resurrection of the dead. For as in 
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be 
made alive. — 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. 

For this corruptible must put on incorrup- 
tion, and this mortal must put on immortality. — 
1 Cor. xv. 53. 

There is one glory of the sun, and another 
glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
stars ; for one star differeth from another star 
in glory. So also is the resurrection of the 
dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in 
incorruption : it is sown in dishonor, it is raised 
in glory : it is sown in weakness, it is raised in 
power : it is sown a natural body, it is raised a 
spiritual body. There is a natural body, and 
there is a spiritual body. — 1 Cor. xv. 41-44. 

For our conversation is in heaven ; from 



118 



THE MINISTER'S 



whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord 
Jesus Christ ; who shall change our vile body, 
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious 
body, according to the working whereby he is 
able even to subdue all things unto himself. — 
Phil iii. 21. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant 
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively 
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 
the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and 
undefiled, and that fadeth not away. — 1 Pet. 
iii. 4. 

So when this corruptible shall have put on 
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on 
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the 
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up 
in victory. O death, where is thy sting ? O 
grave, where is thy victory ? — 1 Cor. xv. 
54, 55. 

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the 
sun in the kingdom of their Father. — Matt. 
xiii. 43. 

Let me die the death of the righteous, and 
let my last end be like his ! — Num. xxxiii. 10. 

Remarks or address. 

If there is to be no service at the grave, then use the regular 
service, page 101, from " Forasmuch as it hath pleased 
Almighty God," &c, Section 1, otherwise, extempore prayer 
and the benediction, with full service at the grave. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



119 



SECTION VIII. 

Death, resurrection, and judgment. 

"|%/|"AN that is born of a woman is of few 
JLtJL days, and full of trouble. He cometh 
forth like a flower, and is cut down : he 
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. — 
Job xiv. 1, 2. 

There is no man that hath power over the 
spirit to retain the spirit; neither katk he power 
in the day of death ; and there is no discharge 
in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver 
those that are given to it. — Eccl. viii. 8. 

o 

For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, 
and to the house appointed for all living. — Job 
xxx. 23. 

What man is he that liveth, and shall not see 
death ? shall he deliver his soul from the hand 
of the grave ? — Ps. lxxxix. 48. 

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth 
away ; so he that goeth down to the grave 
shall come up no more. He shall return no 
more to his house, neither shall his place know 
him any more. — Job vii. 9, 10. 

Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he 
passeth : thou changest his countenance, and 
sendest him away. His sons come to honor, 
and he knoweth it not ; and they are brought 
low, but he perceiveth it not of them. — Job 
xiv. 20, 21. 

So man lieth down and riseth not ; till the 



120 



THE MINISTER^ 



heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor 
be raised out of their sleep. — Job xiv. 12. 

I have said to corruption, Thou art my father : 
to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sis- 
ter. — Job xvii. 14. 



IF a man die, shall he live again ? — Job xiv. 
14. 

There shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and unjust. — Acts xxiv. 15. 

For the hour is coming, in the which all that 
are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall 
come forth ; they that have done good, unto 
the resurrection of life ; and they that have 
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 
— Jno. v. 28, 29. 

For since by man came death, by man came also 
the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
— 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. 

But some man will say, How are the dead 
raised up ? and with what body do they come ? 
— 1 Cor. xv. 35. 

It is sown in corruption, it is raised in in- 
corruption : it is sown in dishonor, it is raised 
in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in 
power : it is sown a natural body, it is raised a 
spiritual body. There is a natural body, and 
there is a spiritual body. — 1 Cor. xv. 42-44. 

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, 
and this mortal must put on immortality. — 1 Cor. 
xv. 53. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



121 



IT is appointed unto men once to die, but 
after this the judgment. — Heb. vii. 27. 

For we must all appear before the judgment 
seat of Christ : that every one may receive the 
things done in his body, according to that he 
hath done, whether it be good or bad. — 2 Cor. 
v. 10. 

So then every one of us shall give account 
of himself to God. — Rom. xiv. 12. 

Because he hath appointed a day, In the 
which he will judge the world in righteousness 
by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof 
he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he 
hath raised him from the dead. — Acts xvii. 31. 

Be not deceived ; God is not mocked : for 
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of 
the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth 
to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- 
lasting. — Gal vi. 7, 8. 

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, 
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he 
sit upon the throne of his glory : and before 
him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall 
separate them one from another, as a shepherd 
divideth his sheep from the goats : and he shall 
set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats 
on the left. Then shall the King say unto 
them on the right hand, Come, ye blessed of 
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world : then 
shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 
n 



122 



THE MINISTER'S 



Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, 
prepared for the devil and his angels : and these 
shall go away into everlasting punishment : but 
the righteous into life eternal. — Matt. xxv. 
31-43. 

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the 
measure of my days, what it is; that I may 
know how frail I am. — Ps. xxxix. 4. 

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it 
with thy might; for there is no work, nor 
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave 
whither thou goest. — Eccle. ix. 10. 

If the tree falleth toward the south, or to- 
ward the north, in the place where the tree 
falleth, there it shall be. — Eccl. xi. 3. 

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still : and 
he which is filthy, let him be filthy still : and he 
that is righteous, let him be righteous still : and 
he that is holy, let him be holy still.- — Rev. 
xxii. 11. 

^ Bern arks or address. 

Short service, Section I. ; the full service; or extempore prayer 
and the benediction. 



SECTION IX. 

TJie regular burial service. 

5[ The minister, going before the corpse towards the grave, shall 

say : 

I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the 
Lord : he that believeth in me, though he 
were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever 



POCKET RITUAL. 



123 



liveth and believeth in me, shall never die. — 
J Ji n xi. 25, 26. 

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that 
he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
earth : and though after my skin worms destroy 
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : 
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold, and not another. — Job xix. 25-27. 

We brought nothing into this world, and it 
is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord 
gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed 
be the name of the Lord. — 1 Tim. vi. 7. Job 
i. 21. 

<[ When they are come to the grave, and the corpse is lowered into 
it, the minister shall say ; 

MAX that is born of woman, hath but a 
short time to live, and is full of misery. 
He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower; 
he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never con- 
tin ueth in one stay. In the midst of life we 
are in death; of whom may we seek for suc- 
cour but of Thee, who for our sins art justly 
displeased ? Yet, O Lord God most holy, O 
Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful 
Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of 
eternal death. Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets 
of our hearts ; shut not thy merciful ears to 
oar prayer ; but spare us, Lord most holy, O 
God most mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, 
thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, 
at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall 
from thee. 



124 



THE MINISTER'S. 



^[ Then, while the earth shall be cast upon the body by some stand- 
ing by, the minister shall say : 

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty 
God, in His wise providence, to take out 
of this world the soul of the departed,* we com- 
mit his body to the ground ; earth to earth, ashes 
to ashes, dust to dust; looking for the general 
resurrection in the last day, and the life of the 
world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ ; 
at whose second coming in glorious majesty to 
judge the world, the earth and the sea shall 
give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies 
of those who sleep in Him shall be changed, 
and made like unto His own glorious body ; 
according to the mighty working whereby He 
is able to subdue all things unto Himself. 

*[ Then shall be said, or sung. 

I HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto 
me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the 
dead who die in the Lord ; even so saith the 
Spirit ; for they rest from their labours. — Rev. 
xiv. 13. 

Then the minister shall say the Lord's prayer. 

OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed 
be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 
will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive 
us our trespasses, as we forgive those who tres- 
pass against us. And lead us not into tempta- 
tion, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 



Or of our deceased brother, in other cases. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



125 



r Then the minister shall say one or both of the following prayers, 
at his discretion. 

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the 
spirits of those who depart hence in the 
Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, 
after they are delivered from the burden of 
the flesh, are in joy and felicity ; we give thee 
hearty thanks for the good examples of all those 
thy servants, who, having finished their course 
in faith, do now rest from their labors. And 
we beseech thee, that we, with all those who 
are departed in the true faith of thy holy name, 
may have our perfect consummation and bliss, 
both in body and soul, in thy eternal and ever- 
lasting glory ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

O MERCIFUL God, the Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection 
and the life ; in whom whosoever believeth, 
shall live, though he die ; and whosoever liveth, 
and believeth in him, shall not die eternally ; 
who also hath taught us, by his holy apostle 
Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without 
hope, for those who sleep in him ; we humbly 
beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the 
death of sin unto the life of righteousness ; that 
when we shall depart this life, we may rest in 
him; and that, at the general resurrection in 
the last day, we may be found acceptable in 
thy sight ; and receive that blessing, which thy 
well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all 
who love and fear thee, saying, Come, ye 
blessed children of my Father, receive the 
11 * 



126 



THE MINISTER'S 



kingdom prepared for you from the beginning 
of the world. Grant this we beseech thee, 
O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our 
Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
the love of God, and the fellowship of 
the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. — 
Amen. 



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127 



CHAPTER IX. 

SERVICE FOE LAYIXG THE CORXEE-STOXE OF A 
CHCJlCir.* 

The minister standing at or near the place where the stone is to 
be laid, shall say to the congregation : 

BELOVED Brethren : In all ages of the 
world good men have had their sacred 
places consecrated to the worship of the Most 
High. Thus Jacob erected a pillar in Bethel, 
and poured oil upon it, saying,. u This is God's 
house." Moses built and consecrated a taber- 
nacle in the desert; and Solomon built and 
dedicated a temple for the Lord, which he filled 
with the glory of his presence before all the 
people. So you have purposed in your hearts 
to build a house for the Lord ; and we are now 
assembled to lay the corner-stone of this new 
house of prayer, a habitation for the mighty 
God of Jacob. And let us not doubt but that 
he will favorably approve our godly purpose, 
and let us devoutly unite in singing his praise, 
and in prayer for his blessing upon this our un- 
dertaking. 



* This and the next following chapter are taken mainly from 
the proposed ritual mentioned in the note on page -4. 



128 



THE MINISTER'S 



^[ Then let a hymn be sung, after which let the following , or an 
appropriate extemporaneous prayer be offered: 

MOST glorious God : Heaven is thy throne 
and the earth thy footstool : what house 
then can be built for thee, or where is the place 
of thy rest ? Yet, blessed be thy name, O 
Lord God, that it hath pleased thee to have 
thy habitation among the sons of men, and to 
dwell in the assemblies of thy saints upon the 
earth. And now, especially, we render thanks 
unto thy holy name that it hath pleased thee 
to put it into the hearts of thy servants to erect 
in this place a house to thy honor and worship. 
We thank thee for thy grace which has inclined 
them to contribute of their substance for the 
glory of thy name : and we pray thee, to con- 
tinue thy blessing upon their pious undertaking. 
Amen. 

May many unite with them in their holy 
work, until this habitation of thy house shall 
be complete, and ready for dedication to thy 
service, free from all debt or claim of man. 

Amen. 

May peace and harmony prevail in the coun- 
sels of thy servants, and may no selfish or di- 
vided aims find place among them. May the 
work of this building be completed without 
hurt or accident to any person. And when 
thou shalt have prospered the work of their 
hands upon them, and this house shall be pre- 
pared and finished for thy service, grant that 
all who shall enjoy the benefit of this pious 
work, may show forth their thankfulness, by 
making a right use of it, to the glory of thy 



POCKET RITUAL. 



129 



blessed name ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Grant that all who shall hereafter worship 
thee in the temple here to be builded, may so 
serve and please thee in all holy exercises of 
godliness, that in the end they may come to 
thy temple on high, to be numbered with thy 
saints in glory everlasting. Amen. 

Hear us, O Lord, for thou art our God in 
whom we trust. And when we shall cease to 
pray unto thee on earth, may we, with all those 
who in like manner have erected such places to 
thy name, and with all thy saints and redeemed 
ones, eternally praise thee for all thy goodness 
vouchsafed unto us here on earth and laid up 
for us there in heaven. Amen. 

Accept these our prayers, we beseech thee, 
for the sake of thy dear Son, and to thee, the 
only true and living God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, be honor, praise, and glory, for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

Then may be read the Psalm cxxxii., and 1 Cor. Hi. 9-23. which 
need not here be inserted, as they should be read from the 
Bible. 

Then shall follow the sermon, or an address suitable to the occa- 
sion, after which the contributions of the people shall be re- 
ceived. 

Tf Then shall the minister, standing by the stone, exhibit to the con- 
gregation to be placed in an exca vation of the stone, and a list 
of its contents should be read ; after which the minister may 
deposit the box in the stone and cover it : and the stone shall be 
laid and adjusted by the minister, assisted by the builder. 

^ Let the minister then strike the stone with a hammer three times, 
and say : 

IN the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost, we lay this corner- 
stone for the foundation of a house to be 



130 



THE MINISTER'S 



builded and consecrated to the service of Al- 
mighty God, according to the order and usages 
of the Church. Amen. 

^[ Or what some may regard as preferable. 

FOR the extension of the Redeemer's king- 
dom in the earth, and for the glory of his 
name, we lay the corner-stone of this house 
of God, in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, one God, world 
without end. Amen. 



^[ The service may then conclude with extemporary prayer and the 
benediction. 



POCKET RITUAL. 131 



CHAPTER X. 

SERVICE FOB THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH. 

J .4s the minister rises in the pulpit to commence the services, let one 
of the trustees, or some one in their behalf, address him, say- 
ing : 

REVEREND axd beloved brother : In 
behalf of the trustees of this church, and 
the church and congregation here assembled, I 
present you this house to be dedicated to the 
service and worship of Almighty God. 

Tit en shall the minister say to the congregation : 

DEARLY beloved : The Scriptures teach 
us that God is well pleased with those 
who build temples to his name. He filled the 
temple of Solomon with his glory, and mani- 
fested himself in the second temple still more 
gloriously. The Gospel approves and com- 
mends the centurion who built a synagogue for 
the people. And it is meet and right, as we 
also learn from the Holy Scriptures, that houses 
erected for the worship of God, should be 
specially set apart and dedicated to his service. 
Thus Moses dedicated the tabernacle in the 
wilderness, and thus Solomon dedicated the 
temple upon Mount Zion. In like manner de- 
vout men have been wont to erect and conse- 



132 the minister's 



crate houses for the worship and praise of God 
in all ages of the Christian Church ; and for 
such a dedication we are now assembled. With 
gratitude, therefore, to Almighty God, who has 
signally blessed his servants in the holy enter- 
prise of erecting this house of prayer, let us 
devoutly join in praise to his name, and in 
prayer for his continued blessing upon all who 
have been engaged therein. 

^[ Let an appropriate hymn be sung. 

IT Then let the minister, or some one appointed by him, read one or 
more of the following lessons from the Bible, 2 Chronicles vi. 
18-33: Psalm xlviii. ; Psalm cxxii. ; Psalm cxxxii. ; Heb. 
x. 19-26. 

1[ After another hymn, let the minister deliver a sermon suitable to 
the occasion. 

The sermon being ended, let another hymn be sung, and the fol- 
lowing, or an appropriate extempore dedicatory prayer be 
offered : 

OMOST glorious Lord, we acknowledge 
that we are unworthy to offer unto thee 
anything belonging unto us; yet we beseech 
thee, in thy great goodness, graciously to accept 
the dedication of this place to thy service, and to 
prosper this our undertaking. Receive thou 
the prayers and intercessions of all those thy 
servants who shall call upon thee in this house ; 
and give them grace to prepare their hearts to 
serve thee with reverence and godly fear. Af- 
fect them with a solemn apprehension of thy 
Divine Majesty, and a deep sense of their own 
unworthiness ; that so approaching thy sanctu- 
ary with lowliness and devotion, and coming 
before thee with right thoughts and a pure 
heart, with bodies undefiled, and minds sancti- 



I 



POCKET RITUAL. 



133 



fied, they may always perform a service accept- 
able unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Regard, O Lord, the supplications of thy 
servants, and grant that whosoever is dedicated 
to thee in this house by holy baptism, may 
prove faithful to all their covenant obligations ; 
remain in the number of the faithful and elect 
children, and may finally come to thy heavenly 
and everlasting kingdom through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

Grant, O Lord, that whosoever shall receive 
in this place the blessed sacrament of the body 
and blood of Christ, may come to that holy 
ordinance with faith, charity, and true repen- 
tance ; and being filled with thy grace and 
heavenly benediction, may, to their great and 
endless comfort, obtain remission of their sins, 
and all other benefits of his passion. Amen. 

Grant, O Lord, that by thy holy Word which 
shall be read and preached in this place, and 
by thy Holy Spirit grafting it inwardly in the 
heart, the hearers thereof may both perceive 
and know what things they ought to do, and 
may have power and strength to fulfill the same. 
Amen. 

Now, therefore, arise, O Lord, and come 
unto this place of thy rest, thou and the ark 
of thy strength. Let thine eye be open to- 
ward this house day and night ; and let thine 
ears be ready toward the prayers of thy chil- 
dren which they shall make unto thee in this 
place. And whensoever thy servants shall 
make to thee their petitions here, do thou hear 

12 



134 



THE MINISTER'S 



them from heaven, thy dwelling-place ; and 
when thou hearest, forgive. And grant, O 
Lord, we beseech thee, that here and elsewhere 
thy ministers may be clothed with righteousness, 
and thy saints rejoice in thy salvation. And 
may we all, with thy people everywhere, grow 
up into a holy temple in the Lord, and be at 
last received, through riches of grace in Christ 
Jesus, into the glorious temple above : the 
house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens. And to the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Spirit, be glory and praise, world without 
end. Amen. 



1 The collection, if ahy, should then be taken, and the services con- 
elude with the doxology and the benediction. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



135 



CHAPTER XI. 

SERVICE FOB, THE OH&IXATIOX OF A JIIXISTEB. 

^ The day for the ordination having arrived, there shall be a sermon 
touching the office and work of the ministry, after which, the 
candidate standing before the altar, the chairman of the coun- 
cil shall address the congregation, saying : 

BRETHREN : we propose this day to or- 
dain A. B. 5 now present before us, to the 
office and work of the Christian ministry. For, 
after due examination, we find not to the con- 
trary, but that he is lawfully called to this func- 
tion and ministry, and that he is a person meet 
for the same. But if there be any of you who 
know any impediment or crime in him, for the 
which he ought not to be received into this 
holy ministry, let him now come forth in the 
name of God, and show what that crime or im- 
pediment is. 

^[ One of the ministers present shall then say : 

Hear ye the word of the Lord by the Pro- 
phet Ezekiel : 

HEN I bring the sword upon a land, if 
the people of the land take a man of 
their coasts, and set him for their w r atchman : 
if, when he seeth the sword come upon the 
land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the peo- 
ple ; then whosoever heareth the sound of the 




136 



THE MINISTER'S 



trumpet, and taketh not warning ; if the sword 
come, and take him away, his blood shall be 
upon his own head. He heard the sound of 
the trumpet, and took not warning ; his blood 
shall be upon him. But he that taketh warn- 
ing shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman 
see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, 
and the people be not warned ; if the sword 
come, and take any person from among them, 
he is taken away in his iniquity ; but his blood 
will I require at the watchman's hand. So 
thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watch- 
man unto the house of Israel ; therefore thou 
shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn 
them from me. — Ezek. xxxiii. 



Hear also the words of Christ from the tenth 
chapter of the Gospel by St. John : 

"¥7ERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that 



▼ entereth not by the door into the sheep- 
fold, but climbeth up some other way, the same 
is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth 
in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. 
To him the porter openeth ; and the sheep 
hear his voice : and he calleth his own sheep 
by name, and leadeth them out. And when 
he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before 
them, and the sheep follow him : for they know 
his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, 
but will flee from him : for they know not the 
voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus 
unto them : but they understood not what things 
they were which He spake unto them. Then 



Then shall another say : 




POCKET RITUAL. 



137 



said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All 
that ever came before me are thieves and rob- 
bers : but the sheep did not hear them. I am 
the door : by me if any man enter in, he shall 
be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pas- 
ture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, 
and to kill, and to destroy : I am come that 
they might have life, and that they might have 
it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd : 
the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 
But he that is an hireling, and not the shep- 
herd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the 
wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth ; 
and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the 
sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an 
hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am 
the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and 
am known of mine. As the Father knoweth 
me, even so know I the Father : and I lay 
down my life for the sheep. And other sheep 
I have which are not of this fold : them also I 
must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and 
there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 

Hear ye also the instructions of St. Paul, to 
Timothy and Titus, his sons in the Gospel : 

THOU, therefore, my son, be strong in the 
grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the 
things that thou hast heard of me among many 
witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful 
men, who shall be able to teach others also. 
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good 
soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth, 

12 * 



138 



THE MINISTER'S 



entangleth himself with the affairs of this life ; 
that he may please him who hath chosen him 
to be a soldier. This is a true saying, If a 
man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a 
good work. A bishop, then, must be blame- 
less, as the steward of God: not self-willed, not 
soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not 
given to filthy lucre. But a lover of hospitality, 
a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temper- 
ate ; holding fast the faithful word as he hath 
been taught, that he may be able by sound doc- 
trine, both to exhort and to convince the gain- 
sayers. Not a novice, lest, being lifted up with 
pride, he fait into the condemnation of the 
devil. Moreover, he must have a good report 
of them which are without ; lest he fall into re- 
proach and the snare of the devil. Let no 
man despise thy youth ; but be thou an exam- 
ple of the believers, in word, in conversation, 
in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I 
come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, 
to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, 
which was given thee by prophecy, with the 
laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Medi- 
tate upon these things ; give thyself wholly to 
them ; that thy profiting may appear to all. 
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a 
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth. Take heed 
unto thyself, and unto thy doctrine; continue 
in them : for in doing this thou shalt both save 
thyself, and them that hear thee. Consider 
what I say ; and the Lord give thee under- 
standing in all things. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



139 



Then shall the chairman or moderator address the candidate, 
saying : 

YOU have heard, beloved brother, in the 
holy lessons taken out of the Scriptures, 
of what dignity and of how great importance 
this office is whereunto ye are called. And, 
now again, we exhort you, in the name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, that you have in remem- 
brance into how high a dignity, and to how 
weighty an office, ye are called : to be a mes- 
senger, watchman, and steward of the Lord ; 
to teach and to premonish, to feed and provide 
for, the Lord's family; to seek for Christ's 
sheep that are dispersed abroad, and for his 
children who are in the midst of this evil world, 
that they may be saved through Christ for 
ever. We have good hope that you have 
weighed and pondered these things with yourself 
long before this time : and that you have clearly 
determined, by God's grace, to give yourself 
wholly to this office, whereunto it hath pleased 
God to call you : so that, as much as lieth in 
you, you will apply yourself wholly to this one 
thing, and draw all your cares and studies this 
way, and that you will continually pray to God 
the Father, by the mediation of our only 
Saviour Jesus Christ, for the heavenly assis- 
tance of the Holy Ghost ; that by daily read- 
ing and weighing of the Scriptures, ye may 
wax riper and stronger in your ministry; and 
that ye may so endeavor yourself, from time to 
time, to sanctify the lives of you and yours, 
and to fashion them after the rule and doctrine 
of Christ, that ye may be a wholesome and 



140 



THE MINISTER'S 



godly example, and pattern for the people to 
follow. 

And now that this present congregation of 
Christ, here assembled, may also understand 
your mind and will in these things, and that this 
your promise may the more move you to do 
your duties, ye shall answer plainly to these 
things which we, in the name of God and his 
church, shall demand of you touching the 
same : 

C. ~j~\0 you think, in your heart, that you 
JL7 are truly called, according to the will 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the office of min- 
isters ? 

Arts. — I do. 

C. A RE you persuaded that the Holy Scrip- 
XjL tures contain sufficiently all doctrine 
required of necessity for eternal salvation 
through faith in Jesus Christ ? 

Ans. — I am so persuaded. 
C. A ND are you determined out of the said 
XjL Scriptures to instruct the people com- 
mitted to your charge, and to teach nothing as 
required of necessity to eternal salvation, but 
that which you shall be persuaded may be con- 
cluded and proved by the Scriptures 1 

Ans. — I have so determined by God's grace. 

C. ~\^\TILL you, then, give your faithful dil- 
▼ T igence always so to minister the 
doctrine and sacraments, and discipline of Christ, 
as the Lord hath commanded ? 

Ans. — I will so do, by the help of the Lord. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



141 



C. ^W^ILL you be ready, with all faithful 
t T diligence, to banish and drive away 
all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to 
God's word ; and to use both public and private 
monitions and exhortations, as well to the sick 
as to the whole within your charge, as need 
shall require and occasion shall be given ? 

Ans. — I will, the Lord being my helper. 

C. "VYTILL you be diligent in prayers, and 
T T in reading of the Holy Scriptures, 
and in such studies as help to a knowledge of 
the same, laying aside the study of the world 
and the flesh ? 

Ans. — I will endeavor so to do, the Lord 
being my helper. 

C. "VTTILL you be diligent to frame and to 
t T fashion yourself (and your family) 
according to the doctrine of Christ ; and to make 
(both) yourself (and them), as much as in you 
lieth, (a) wholesome examples and patterns to 
the flock of Christ ? 

Ans. — I shall apply myself thereto, the Lord 
being my helper. 

C. "XXTILL you maintain and set forward, 
▼ T as much as lieth in you, quietness, 
peace, and love, among all Christian people, 
and especially among them that are, or shall be 5 
committed to your charge ? 

Ans. — I will so do, the Lord being my helper. 

J Here, the candidate kneeling at the altar, the chairman and other 
ministers present shall lay their hands severally upen the head 
of the person to be ordained, the chairman saying: 



142 



THE MINISTER'S 



THE Lord pour upon thee the Holy Ghost 
for the office and work of a minister in 
the Church of God ; now committed unto thee 
by the imposition of our hands. And be thou 
a faithful dispenser of the word of God, and of 
His holy sacraments; in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen. 

^f A copy of the Holy Scriptures may then be delivered into his 
hands, the chairman saying, 

TAKE thou authority to preach the word of 
God, and to administer the holy sacra- 
ments in the congregation. 

If Then let the fol ' owing prayer 'be offered : 

ALMIGHTY God and heavenly Father, 
who of thine infinite mercy hast sent 
abroad into the world apostles, prophets, evan- 
gelists, doctors, and pastors, by whose labor 
and ministry to gather together a great flock in 
all parts of the world, to set forth the eternal 
praise of thy holy name : for these so great 
benefits of thy eternal goodness, and for that 
thou hast vouchsafed to call this thy servant 
here present to the same office and ministry 
appointed for the salvation of mankind, we ren- 
der unto thee most hearty thanks ; we praise 
and worship thee ; and we humbly beseech 
thee, through our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant 
unto all who, either here or elsewhere, call 
upon thy name, that we may continue to show 
ourselves thankful unto thee for these, and all 
other benefits of His death ; and that we by 
the gracious aid of thy Holy Spirit may daily 
increase in the knowledge of Christ and of thy 



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143 



holy ways, and may go forward in righteous- 
ness and holiness to the end of life. So that 
as well by this thy minister, as by -them over 
whom he shall be appointed to minister, thy 
holy name may be for ever glorified, and thy 
blessed kingdom enlarged, through thy Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord : who liveth and reigneth 
with thee in the unity of the same Holy Spirit 
world without end. Amen. 

*[ The right hand of fellowship to the Christian ministry should 
here be extended to the candidate, by some minister previously 
designated for this duty, and the service may close with this 
benediction : 

THE peace of God which passeth all under- 
standing, keep your hearts and minds in 
the knowledge and love of God, and of his 
Son Jesus Christ our Lord ; and the blessing 
of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Ghost be among you, and remain 
with you always. Amen. 



144 



THE MINISTER'S 



CHAPTER XII. 

SERVICE FOR THE INST AIZATION OF A FAS TOR. 

Whenever a minister and a church have entered into a mutual en- 
gagement that hp shall become their pastor, and desire that such 
pastoral relation should be formally and publicly recognized, 
the council or Presbytery being convened and organized, the 
chairman should state to the congregation the object of the 
meeting, and the evidence presented to him that both the pastor 
and congregotion desire the proposed services to beheld, and the 
pastoral relation between them to be formally and publicly 
recognized. 

A religious service should then be held, consisting of singing, 
prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, singing, and a sermon 
by some one previously appointed thereto. 

\ The sermon being ended, the chairman should address himself to 
the minister to be installed, proposing to him the following ques- 
tions. 

Q. A RE you now willing publicly to take 
-XjL the charge of this congregation as 
their pastor, as when you first accepted their 
invitation ? 

Ans. — I am. 
Q. T^O you conscientiously believe and de- 
JLr clare, as far as you know your own 
heart, that in taking upon you this charge you 
are influenced by a sincere desire to promote 
the glory of God, and the good of His Church I 

Ans. — I do. 
Q. TP|0 you solemnly promise that, by the 
JLJ assistance of the grace of God, you 
will endeavor faithfully to discharge all the du- 



POCKET RITUAL. 



145 



ties of a pastor to this congregation ; and will 
be careful to maintain a deportment in all re- 
spects becoming a minister of the- Gospel of 
Christ? 

Arts. — I do so promise, and will endeavor so 
to do, by the help of God. 

\ Turning to the congregation, the chairman shall enquire : 

DO you, the people of this congregation, 
still profess your readiness to receive A. 
B, as your pastor, and is it your desire that he 
should be so recognized, and publicly installed 
over you as such ? 

Will you receive the word of truth from his 
mouth, with meekness and love, and submit to 
him in the due exercise of the discipline of 
Christ ? 

Do you promise to encourage him in his 
arduous labor, and to assist his endeavors for 
your instruction and spiritual edification ? 

And do you engage to continue to him, while 
he is your pastor, that competent worldly main- 
tenance which you have promised, and what- 
ever else you may see needful for the honor of 
religion, and his usefulness and comfort among 
you? 

If you are ready thus to profess and cove- 
nant, as in the presence of God, you will now 
do so, one and all, by raising your right hands. 

The people having thus answered the questions, the chairman shall 
say : 

INASMUCH then as you, the minister and 
congregation here present, have thus pub- 
licly entered into covenant to sustain to each 

13 



146 



THE MINISTER'S 



other the holy and divinely instituted relation 
of pastor and flock, I pronounce and declare 
that A. B. is hereby duly constituted and in- 
stalled pastor of this church of Christ, in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

* The right hand of fellowship should here be extended to the newly 
installed pastor, by some minister previously designated for 
that purpose. 

A brief hymn may then be sung, and a charge given to the newly 
installed pastor, by some minister previously designated for 
that purpose. 

Another charge should be given to the congregation, by a minister 
previously designated ; and the services may close by singing, 
prayer, and the benediction. 

^[ It is highly becoming, after the solemnity of the installation, for 
the heads of families of the congregation, who are then present, or 
at least the officers of the church, to come forward to their 
pastor, and give him their right hand, in token of cordial re. 
ception and affectionate regard. 



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147 



CHAPTER XIII. 

BEXJE&ICTIOX. 

THE peace of God, which passeth all under- 
standing, keep your hearts and minds in 
the knowledge and love of God, and of his 
Son Jesus Christ our Lord : and the blessing 
of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with 
you always. Amen. 

May grace, mercy, and peace, from God the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, rest upon 
and be with us all, evermore. Amen, 

Xow the God of Peace, that brought again from 
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd 
of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlasting 
covenant, make you perfect in every good work, 
to do his will, working in you that which is 
well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ ; 
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
Heb. xii. 20, 21. 

May the God of all grace, w T ho hath called 
us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after 
that ye have suffered a while, make you per- 
fect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him 
be dory and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen. 
1 Mv. 10 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 



148 the minister's pocket ritual. 



love of God, and the communion of the Holy 
Ghost, be with you all. Amen. — 2 Cor. xiii. 14. 

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy 
and peace in believing, that ye may abound in 
hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen. — Rom. xv. 13. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
you all. Amen. — Rom. xvi. 24. 

Grace be to you and peace from God our 
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
2 Cor. i. 2. 



PART SECOND. 



SUGGESTIONS TO YOUNG MINISTERS IN REGARD TO 
MARRIAGES, BAPTISMS, THE VISITATION OF THE 
SICK, FUNERALS, &C. 



CHAPTER I. 

LAWS RESPECTING MARRIAGE. 

The Marriage Covenant is both a civil and re- 
ligious contract ; but so far as the laws of the sev- 
eral States are concerned, it is regarded in its civil 
aspects only, except so far as ministers of the gos- 
pel are recognized in its solemnization. 

The local laws of the several States differ, some- 
what, in minor particulars, and should therefore be 
understood to some extent by the ministers of each 
State respectively, to avoid the consummation of 
illegal marriages, and the consequent liability to 
exposure and trouble. And yet, while the laws 
of the several States may differ, their general re- 
quirements are the same ; so that the requirements 
of the statute of the State of New York, for in- 
stance, may serve as a general guide in any State 
of the Union. 

1. Marriage may be solemnized by ministers of 
the gospel and priests of every denomination ; 
mayors, recorders, and aldermen, of cities ; judges 
of county courts, and justices of the peace. But 
13 * 149 



150 



THE MINISTER'S 



so far as the validity of the marriage contract is 
concerned, an agreement by two persons, before 
witnesses, to take each other as husband and wife, 
and living together as such, constitutes a legal 
marriage. 

2. Ministers must marry according to the forms 
or customs of their denomination, but a civil magis- 
trate can use any form he pleases, only that the 
parties declare in his presence, and in the presence 
of at least one other witness, that they take each 
other as husband and wife. But if a denomination 
have a published ritual or marriage ceremony, and 
yet ministers are in the habit of using any other 
form they please, (as is the case in the Methodist 
E. Church,) then to use the service which pleases 
the administrator best, is to marry " according to 
the customs " of the denomination, and is therefore 
in accordance with the law. 

3. The full names and residences of the parties 
and of the witness or witnesses should be ascer- 
tained and entered in a church record kept for that 
purpose. Every minister should also keep a full 
private record of all marriages, baptisms, and 
funerals, at which he officiates. Such a record will 
become more and more valuable to him as he ad- 
vances in years, and is often of the highest impor- 
tance, both in civil and in criminal investigation. We 
advise every young minister, therefore, to keep a 
full private record of all the marriages he solemn- 
izes. In fact this is required by law. 

4. A certificate need not be given unless re- 
quested ; but when given, the law requires that it 
shall specify " the names and places of residence 
of the parties married, and that they were known 
to such minister or magistrate, or were satisfactorily 
proved by the oath of a person known to him, to 
be the person described in such certificate, and that 
he had ascertained that they were of sufficient age 
to contract marriage. The name and place of 



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151 



residence of the attesting witness or witnesses, 
and the time and place of the marriage, must also 
be stated. The certificate shall also state that, 
after due inquiry is made, there appeared no lawful 
impediment to such marriage ; and it shall be 
signed by the person making it." 

From this it is obvious that very few of the cer- 
tificates heretofore issued are in conformity with 
the law. This in no wise invalidates the maraiage, 
though the " neglect " to conform the certificate to 
the requirements of the law, exposes the adminis- 
trator to a fine of fifty dollars. 

5. The importance of fully identifying parties 
not personally known to the minister is very ob- 
vious. Persons may be married under assumed 
names to avoid a charge of bigamy, or in order that 
some other party may inherit an estate. Many be- 
lieve that another individual personated Dr. Bur- 
dell, in his alleged marriage with Mrs. Cunningham, 
in New York, for some such purpose. Every min- 
ister, therefore, should be well satisfied that he is 
really marrying the parties he supposes. 

6. The age at which the parties may contract mar- 
riage, with the consent of their parents or guardians, 
differs somewhat in the several States. In New 
York a marriage may be annulled, in certain cases, 
where the female is under fourteen at the time of 
the marriage. In Wisconsin males may marry at 
the age of eighteen, and females at fifteen. In 
other States : Virginia, 14 and 12 ; Ohio, 18 and 
14. The common-law rule which fixes the age at 
14 and 12, prevails in Massachusetts.* The age 
is left in the same way in the State of New York, 
that is, at 14 and 12, upon the rule of the com- 
mon-law ; but this is only where parents or guar- 
dians consent. But to marry a minor, without 
such consent, is not only doing as no minister would 



* Kent's Commentaries, Yol. ii. p. 44, note. 



152 



THE MINISTER'S 



like to be done by, but is also to expose the admin- 
istrator to a suit for civil damages, if nothing more. 
Marriage should never be celebrated, therefore, be- 
tween parties younger than 18 and 21 respectively, 
unless by the explicit consent of their parents or 
guardians. 

7. The free consent of both contracting parties 
is essential to a valid marriage ; and a marriage 
would be null and void if either of the parties was 
in a state of intoxication, such as would incapaci- 
tate him or her for entering into any other con- 
tract.* 

8. Ministers and others officiating in the city of 
New York are required by law to report ail mar- 
riages to the city inspector, to be recorded ; and to 
pay him ten cents for such record. f 

9. Ministers may sue for and collect the sum of 
one dollar for every marriage service, solemnized 
and reported in accordance with the statute of the 
State of New York. 

10. " Every minister or magistrate who shall 
solemnize a marriage where either of the parties 
within his knowledge shall be under the age of 
legal consent, or an idiot, or lunatic, or to which 
within his knowledge any legal impediment exists, 
shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, punish- 
able by fine or imprisonment, or both, in the dis- 
cretion of the court by which he shall be tried." 
It is, of course a legal impediment, if either party 
has a husband or wife living, or is physically im- 
becile. Ministers should be careful, therefore, how 
they unite strangers in marriage ; not only to avoid 
doing a moral wrong to parents, as in cases of " run- 
away matches ;" but to avoid a violation of the laws 

* Kent, Vol. ii. p. 42, and note. 

f This provision was stoutly resisted by the Eoman Cath- 
olics of New York city, and is utterly ignored by them, no 
one of their priests paying any attention to it. And the 
politicians will of course let them have their own way. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



153 



of the land, and the liability of subsequent expo- 
sure and punishment. 

Such is the substance of the common-law, and of 
the laws of the several States, upon the subject of 
marriage. 



CHAPTER II. 

SCGGESTIOXS AS TO THE PERFORMANCE OF MAU- 
RI AGE CEREMONIES. 

1. Marriages usually occur either at the house 
or study of the minister ; at the house of the bride's 
parents, or in a church. If the ceremony is de- 
sired at the residence of the bride's parents, or in 
a church, the presumption is that all is right, age, 
consent, &c, even if the minister does not per- 
sonally know the parties. 

2. If the bride's parents are living, and the cer- 
emony is desired at the house of some friend, or 
even at the parsonage, the presumption is that all 
may not be right ; and the minister should be the 
more cautious. Especially should he be so if there 
seems to be undue haste or secrecy, and the admin- 
istrator is unacquainted with either the parties or 
the proposed witnesses. The writer has had two 
cases during his ministry, where the parties apply- 
ing with their intended brides, have admitted, upon 
being closely questioned, that they had each a wife 
still living. It requires the exercise of a sound 
judgment, and no little caution on the part of 
ministers, to avoid mistakes, and to guard at the 
same time the rights of parents and guardians, 
their own reputation and interests, and the sacred 
institution of marriage. 



154 



THE MINISTER'S 



3. Whenever a minister is employed to celebrate 
a marriage, his being employed implies that the 
parties desire the ceremony to be a religious one. 
AVhile, therefore, the minister should regard him- 
self as exercising both a civil and a religious func- 
tion, he should give to the ceremony the cast and 
aspect of a purely religious ceremony. Let alder- 
men and justices of the peace make a joke of it, 
and marry people without prayer or even serious- 
ness, if they will ; but let ministers understand 
their calling better. So far as solemnity, dignity, 
and deliberation are concerned, they should marry 
people precisely as they would baptize them, or ad- 
minister the Lord's Supper ; though marriage is no 
more a sacrament than the ordaining of a min- 
ister. 

4. The administrator should be cool and delib- 
erate, avoiding haste and nervousness, and taking 
time to render the service impressive and solemn. 
If in a church, this is especially important. For a 
large party to assemble at a church to hear a cere- 
mony and a prayer, together but a minute or two 
in length, is a sort of mockery, which minifies the 
whole institution. The best ceremony, therefore, 
for a church is the full marriage service, as given 
on pages 7 and onward. 

5. The abridged services, pages 11 and 13, are 
better adapted to a private family wedding, at the 
residence of the bride's father ; though even there 
some will desire the full service, while others will 
nervously beg, " let the ceremony be as short as pos- 
sible /" 

6. Parties coming to the pastor's residence are 
apt to prefer a short service ; and in order to avoid 
embarrassment, and that there may be no misun- 
derstanding, it is well, whenever practicable, for 
the minister to ascertain the wishes of the parties 
as to the character of the service ; and especially 
whether or not they wish to be married with a ring. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



155 



If they do, they should if practicable, have the 
privilege of looking over the service you design to 
employ. And when the full service is" desired, the 
parties should study the ceremony (if indeed they 
do not previously practice it in private) that there 
may be no awkward blunder on their part, in pub- 
lic, to mar the solemnity of the occasion. 

7. No minister, of course, would marry a couple 
without prayer. The prayer, though not long, (say 
three or four minutes,) should be solemn, compre- 
hensive and appropriate. To pray for a revival, 
or for the heathen , or for our country or rulers, on 
such an occasion, would be palpably out of place. 
So would a vehement or boisterous prayer. And a 
prayer but a minute long, scarce alluding to the 
parties, their relatives, or the occasion, would be 
equally inappropriate and defective. These ob- 
servations apply mainly to cases where an abridged 
service is used, as no extemporaneous prayer is ex- 
pected where the full service is employed. 

The prayer should recognize the parties married 
especially ; the parents, brothers and sisters, and 
other interested relatives; not, perhaps, as individ- 
uals, but as classes. We refer here more especially 
to large weddings in families and churches ; but 
the same general rule will apply in most other 
cases. 

8. The posture of the parties and guests during 
prayer, is worthy of consideration. Some minis- 
ters stand while others kneel in prayer. If the 
wedding is at the parsonage, or at a private house, 
and the parties are not professed Christians, and 
do not wish to kneel, it will usually be best for the 
minister to remain standing during prayer, even if 
he prefer a kneeling posture ; upon the same prin- 
ciple that we defer to the usages of other churches 
and stand whenever we pray in one of their pul- 
pits. The parties and guests can then stand with 
the minister without embarrassment But if the 



156 



THE MINISTER'S 



full service is employed, and in a church, (the most 
suitable place for a marriage ceremony,) the whole 
bridal party should kneel around the altar during 
the prayer, joining audibly in the Lord's Prayer ; 
and the newly married couple should again kneel 
to receive the closing benediction, " God the Father, 
God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve 
and keep you, &c," which the minister should pro- 
nounce with his hands upon the heads of the par- 
ties married. 

When the ceremony is at a private house, and 
the minister and parties are Methodists, all may 
kneel ; but even then the minister and the parties 
should understand each other upon this point be- 
fore the ceremony begins. 

9. In order to adapt the prayer somewhat to sur- 
rounding circumstances, if the minister is not al- 
ready sufficiently informed, he should endeavor to 
ascertain what parents, brothers, sisters, &c, are 
expected to be present. This can usually be done 
to a great extent, if not altogether, through the 
messenger who calls to engage his services. But 
it is usually expedient to ask an interview with the 
parties at the house, before they enter the room for 
the ceremony, in order that there may be an un- 
derstanding in regard to the length of the service, 
the use or omission of the ring, the standing or 
kneeling during prayer, &c. 

10. In case of any mistake of any kind during 
the service, the minister, above all others, should 
maintain his self-possession. This will go far to- 
ward allaying nervousness in others, and making 
the whole party to feel assured and at ease But 
if the master of ceremonies lose his self-command, 
it is easily seen and becomes contagious. And 
there is no one thing that will do more to steady 
the nerves of a young minister, than the thought 
that he is performing a religious ceremony, and in 
the presence of God. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



157 



11. Every minister should endeavor to qualify 
himself to perform the marriage ceremony in a be- 
coming and impressive manner. In order to this, the 
first requisite is to have a good ceremony to use. 
Such a ceremony is not a thing to be extemporized. 
On this account most Christian denominations have 
their prescribed marriage services. And yet many 
of these services are either adapted to but one set 
of circumstances, or are in other respects awk- 
ward and defective. It is our design, therefore, 
to obviate this difficulty by supplying a variety of 
services adapted to different tastes and circum- 
stances. 

12. A suitable ceremony having been selected, 
the minister should commit it to memory — if he does 
not already know it. This will enable him to pro- 
nounce it, not only correctly and deliberately, but 
with the proper emphasis and inflections. To rattle 
or mumble through a ceremony, or to repeat it in- 
correctly, or even with a parrot-like formality, is 
discreditable to a minister ; while, on the other 
hand, if he renders the service with grace and dig- 
nity, he not only does justice to those who employ 
him, and credit to himself, but pleases the whole 
company, and prepares the way for other calls in 
the same line ; all of which may inure greatly to his 
advantage in the work of the ministry. 

13. As a general rule it is advisable for the min- 
ister to hold the open Manual in his hand during 
the ceremony, even if he has no occasion to read 
from it. The presence of the book indicates order 
and authority, and gives dignity to the whole cere- 
mony. If it is egotistic and unseemly for a minis- 
ter to close the Bible after taking his text, (as much 
as to say, "I want no further authority for what I 
say,) is it not for the same reason better to hold 
the Manual in the hand, and open before us during 
the ceremony, even though we have no occasion for 
ising it ? 

14 



158 



THE MINISTER'S 



14. A minister should notice not only the par- 
ties on such occasions, but their parents especially, 
if present. To them it is an occasion of solemn 
interest and solicitude ; and attentions from the 
officiating minister not only please for the time, but 
are likely to be remembered. The same is to some 
extent true of similar attentions to other relatives 
and guests. 

15. Of course, every well-bred minister will be 
pleasant and affable in any company. But these 
qualities are especially in place at a wedding party. 
And yet no minister should forget his office or com- 
promise his dignity for a moment, even at a wed- 
ding. And both his own health and the proprieties 
of the occasion will usually require him to retire 
early from the company. 

16. Finally, every minister should endeavor to 
keep up an acquaintance with all the families he 
thus constitutes; and to exert an influence over 
them, that shall tend both to their temporal and 
eternal welfare. 



CHAPTER III. 

SUGGESTIONS AXD OBSERVATIONS JJPOy TBTE VISI- 
TATION OF THE SICK. 

1. In order that the greatest possible good may 
result from the visiting of the sick, it is well dis- 
tinctly to apprehend the objects for which such visits 
are made. These are not merely to meet the ex- 
pectations of our parishioners ; or acquire influence 
in community, and over individuals and families, 
by expressions of sympathy with the afflicted* All 
these may result from the discharge of this duty ; 
but there are other specific ends to be bought, of 
far greater importance. 

2. If the sick person is a Christian, our object 



POCKET RITUAL. 



159 



should be to alleviate his sufferings by our sympa- 
thy ; to cheer and comfort him by the promises of 
God, and by the prospect of joy and peace at last ; to 
strengthen his faith ; confirm his hope ; and aid 
him, so far as in you lieth, to bear his sufferings 
patiently, trusting in him who " doeth all things 
well." 

3. But if the sick person is an unbeliever and 
impenitent, the great object should be, by the bless- 
ing of God, to lead him to realize his true condi- 
tion as a sinner, and to turn penitently to Christ 
for mercy and salvation. If already penitent, the 
effort should be so to set forth the plan of salvation 
through faith in the one and only sacrifice for sin, 
that the poor penitent will believe on the Only Be- 
gotten of the Father, and be saved from wrath 
through him. 

4. The means by which these ends are to be at- 
tained, are, conversation with the sick person ; the 
citing or reading of appropriate passages of the 
Word of God with comments ; singing appropriate 
hymns ; prayer with and for the afflicted ; and the 
sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

As to the manner and spirit in which these means 
are employed, the following observations may not 
be unacceptable: 

1. It is often a question whether a minister 
should or should not visit a person whom he knows 
to be sick. If the sickness is slight, and he is not 
asked to call, he may reasonably doubt whether a 
visit from him is either expected or desired. But 
in case of severe or long continued affliction, the 
case is different. If the person is a member of his 
church, it is expected that he will visit him, if he 
knows it, whether invited to do so or not. The 
same is generally true where the sick person is a 
member of his congregation. But if neither a 
member or a hearer, it will usually be best to ascer- 
tain whether or not a visit will be agreeable, before 



160 



THE MINISTER S 



calling for religious conversation and prayer. The 
same rule "will apply where the sick person belongs 
to another denomination, but whose pastor may be 
sick or absent. In large cities at least it would 
generally be regarded as an impropriety for a min- 
ister to go uninvited to visit a sick person who be- 
longed to another church, and had a pastor of their 
own. And some would regard a visit to an irreli- 
gious sick person, without invitation, in the same 
light. 

The truth is, that members and hearers should 
relieve their pastor of all these delicate questions 
of propriety, by informing him, if a visit from him 
is desired. He ought never to be expected to visit 
the sick, even of his members, without a request to 
do so. And it is well publicly to request the con- 
gregation, to send for him whenever the sick would 
like to see him. Even where the person visited is 
a member of the church, it is often far more agree- 
able to make such visits upon invitation. And yet 
it would never do for a minister to neglect all the 
sick of his charge, unless specially invited to visit 
them. He must therefore be governed by circum- 
stances, and the usages in the community in which 
he labors ; and will need much wisdom and discre- 
tion to avoid seeming intrusion on the one hand, 
and apparent neglect on the other. But of the 
two evils apparent forwardness will be much more 
readily excused, even by the irreligious, than ap- 
parent neglect. Besides, we are more likely to 
fall short of duty, than to go beyond it in the mat- 
ter of visiting the sick. 

2. Such visits should be made, as far as possible, at 
a time when the patient is least fatigued, and most 
tranquil and composed,* If you are called upon 
for the visit, the messenger will usually be able to 



* As a general rule, such visits should be made in the fore, 
noon, and, if practicable, before the visit of the physician. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



161 



inform you upon these points, and also when your 
visit will least incommode the family, or interrupt 
meals or other domestic arrangements. 

At all events it is well to avoid the hour when 
the physician is present, as he may need the atten- 
tion of the patient ; may have no sympathy with 
your object ; and the two visits together may im- 
pose too great a tax upon the strength and atten- 
tion of the patient. 

3. It is often of great service to talk with some 
member of the family before seeing the invalid, in 
order to ascertain, as far as possible, his moral 
state and feelings, as well as his bodily condition. 
This will enable the minister the better to adapt 
his conversation, and the exercises generally, to the 
circumstances of the patient. And if the invalid 
be a young person, and a stranger to the pastor, it 
will often be well to ascertain his first name, and 
to address him familiarly by that name, especially 
after the introduction. 

4. In case of visiting the irreligious, who are 
dangerously ill, it is often of great advantage to 
see the patient alone. The dying often find com- 
fort in confessing to a minister what they have con- 
fessed and bewailed before God. And besides, 
the minister is thus prepared, from his more perfect 
knowledge of their moral state, both to advise and 
pray for the patient, as he could not but for a pri- 
vate interview. At the risk, therefore, of being 
suspected of tendencies to Romanism, we would re- 
commend a private interview as far more satisfactory 
and useful in most cases of visiting the unconverted 
invalid. 

5. The best exercises at the bed-side of the sick 
will usually be found to consist of conversation with 
the patient ; reading the Scriptures with remarks ; 
singing and prayer; all adapted to the character and 
moral state of the sufferer. The manner should be 
grave and serious, yet pleasant ; and the voice sub- 

14 * 



162 



THE MINISTER'S 



clued and tender. An abrupt, harsh manner; loud 
conversation or a boisterous style of praying, illy 
becomes the sick-room. From the salutation to the 
leave-taking, everything should be mild and sympa- 
thetic, if we would have our visits appreciated, and 
secure the greatest good to the afflicted. 

6. The frequency of such visits must of course 
be determined by circumstances, of which the faith- 
ful pastor must judge in each particular case. As 
a general rule, we should repeat our visits as often as 
we may hope for spiritual advantage to the patient, 
and our own time and strength will permit. It is 
often a great blessing both to the sick and to the 
pastor, for the latter to attend the former in his 
progress toward the close of life, and be present 
when the soul is dismissed from the burden of the 
flesh, to enter upon the scenes of another world. 



CHAPTER V. 

of btiizaz sfbj1cfs, a xt) the fbofeb jiobe of 
coxductixg them. 

1. The character of the services held at funerals, 
varies widely in different sections of the country, 
as well as among different denominations. In the 
rural districts a sermon is usually expected, on al- 
most every occasion of the burial of the dead ; but 
in the large towns and cities, funeral sermons are 
seldom preached. 

2. In all ordinary cases the services are held at 
the late residence of the deceased, and consists of 
a brief prayer or invocation : the reading of the 
Scriptures, either from the Bible, or as compiled in 
more convenient form ; an address with prayer and 



POCKET RITUAL. 



163 



the benediction. If the deceased is a Christian, or 
a person of note, instead of a full prayer after the 
address, the first prayer is more extended ; and 
after the address, the Burial Service, page 124 is 
read (at the house), beginning with the portion, 
44 Forasmuch as it hath pleased," &c. 

3. If the minister is to go to the grave, the ser- 
vice at the house should close with an extempora- 
neous prayer and the benediction ; and the burial 
service should take place at the grave. In view 
of the liability to exposure, from cold or rain, and 
the fact, that as a general rule, few comparatively 
of those who attend at the house, go to the burial ; 
it is often far better to have all the services at the 
house. Indeed, this is becoming more and more 
the custom, we believe, in all the eastern cities at 
least. It secures quite as much profit, on the 
whole, from the burial service, and relieves the 
minister from what often becomes an insupportable 
tax upon his time and energies. On this account, 
we think, the custom of having all the services at 
the private house or church, should be encouraged 
by the ministry. 

4. If the services are held at a church, they 
may consist of a sermon, followed by prayer and 
the burial service, or by the burial service at the 
grave. Or if two or more ministers officiate, there 
may be an opening prayer and several addresses ; 
or prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, an ad- 
dress, and the burial service, either in the church 
or at the grave. Such a service may be made very 
impressive. The judicious pastor will be at no loss 
to adapt the services to the circumstances of the 
occasion. 

5. The practice of preaching sermons at all 
funerals is rapidly going out of use, as we have in- 
timated, in all large cities and villages ; and must 
soon be discarded altogether, as it certainly should 
be. It is an onerous tax upon the time and 



164 



THE MINISTER'S 



strength of ministers, and serves no valuable pur- 
pose. In the country, where funerals are less com- 
mon, and where many will hear a sermon at a 
funeral who never hear one on any other occasion, 
the case is somewhat different. And even there, 
the practice of preaching a sermon at every funeral, 
is of very doubtful utility. But ministers will be 
obliged to conform to the usages of the sections 
where they reside, till little by little they can 
mould the customs of the people to the demands 
of reason and piety. 

6. When funerals are held at the late residence 
of the deceased, the minister is liable to several in- 
conveniences, and occasions of embarrassment. The 
room is often small and crowded, and the corpse 
sometimes offensive ; and the minister obliged to 
stand very near it. In the absence of a suitable 
manual, he may be furnished with a Bible too heavy 
for him to hold up before him, obliging him to bend 
forward over it as it lies on the stand, in order to 
read at all. This is not only an awkward position, 
but is very tiresome. In other cases a pocket 
Bible may be handed him, the print of which it is 
almost impossible to read in the dim light of the 
room ; and in some instances no Bible is furnished 
till called for, if indeed, you are not then informed 
that there is no Bible in the house ! Such liabili- 
ties make a hand-book of Scripture lessons, &c, 
similar to the preceding, almost indispensable to 
the city pastor. 

7. It is often difficult to furnish the necessary 
variety on such occasions, especially when a portion 
of the same audience attend several funerals in the 
same vicinity. Besides, such services must usually 
be brief, say from twenty to thirty minutes at 
longest ; so that there is seldom time for the satis- 
factory treatment of any important topic. Re- 
marks upon the lessons read, the brevity and un- 
certainty of life, the nature of death, the immor- 



POCKET RITUAL. 



165 



talitj of the soul, the relations of the present life 
to a future state, the resurrection of the dead, &c, 
will generally be in place. And yet -funeral occa- 
sions will be found to tax the resources of most 
pastors quite as much as their ordinary pulpit minis- 
trations. 

8. To a sensitive person it is unpleasant to speak 
to a company, many of whom are standing and 
evidently uncomfortable, as is apt to be the case at 
funerals. Add to this a position where but half 
the audience is before you, a dark room on a noisy 
street, an undertaker who grudges you every mo- 
ment you occupy, and you have an outline of many 
a city funeral. And the recent city custom of send- 
ing the relatives above stairs into a private room, 
while the corpse and the services are in the parlor 
below, is as irrational and embarrassing as any of 
the previously mentioned difficulties. For whose 
benefit are funeral services held, if not for the be- 
reft ? Why, then, should they be kept out of 
sight and hearing while the services are being 
held ? . 

9. The style in which funeral services are con- 
ducted should correspond with the occasion. The 
pitch of voice, tones and modulations should be 
solemn and impressive, and at the same time natural 
and unaffected. Better indicate no feelings or sym- 
pathy, than to merely affect them. And to attempt 
to excite tenderness in your own bosom by harrow- 
ing up the feelings of the bereft and heart-stricken 
mourners, is not only inexcusable, but absolutely 
cruel. And yet, strange to say, with many, such 
exhibitions of pulpit oratory pass as evidences of 
great ability, as well as of deep sympathy with the 
Afflicted ! 

10. And here we offer a suggestion upon another 
point. Most people believe in a future state of 
existence, and that the state of the dead in the fu- 
ture world depends upon their moral character at 



166 



THE MINISTER'S 



the time of their departure. And when they see 
their friends passing to the unseen land, they 
eagerly seize upon every indication of a " willing- 
ness to die," and of their probable happiness in 
the world to come. Death and their consequent 
grief have hidden all the errors and sins of their 
deceased relatives from view, and given prominence 
to their virtues ; and to them it often seems but 
the sheerest justice that, if the minister speak at 
all of the character or prospects of the deceased, 
he should speak precisely as they feel. Hence it 
often becomes a very delicate and difficult matter 
for a minister to meet the wishes or satisfy the ex- 
pectations of relatives and friends upon such occa- 
sions. When sermons are preached, and the de- 
ceased unquestionably died in the Lord, their re- 
ligious character may be drawn and publicly com- 
mended as an example to others. And it is not 
inappropriate upon such an occasion to express our 
belief that the departed is at rest. But consistency 
and fidelity to the truth forbid that any minister 
should be so far drawn aside from his honest con- 
victions as even impliedly to express a hope of the 
salvation of one who died in impenitency and un- 
belief. If the deceased have virtues, they may be 
spoken of ; but let them never be held up as con- 
stituting a title to eternal life ; or as a substitute 
for the righteousness which is only by faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

11. There is also another extreme into which a 
young minister is liable to fall ; and that is, that, 
if the deceased has been a notoriously wicked per- 
son, it is the minister's duty, as a faithful watch- 
man, to point out his sins and warn the people 
against them. There may be cases where such % 
course would be expedient ; but they seldom occur. 
It is too late at a funeral to reform the deceased ; 
and it is seldom that mourners would be benefited 
or consoled by a reference to the vices of a deceased 



POCKET RITUAL. 



167 



friend. And so with the audience : they would 
generally sympathize with the bereft, and condemn 
all such references and allusions on the part of the 
preacher as an impropriety. The better way, 
therefore, as a general rule, is to leave the character 
of the irreligious and their condition beyond the 
grave with the Judge of all ; without specific de- 
lineation or allusion. The city custom of having 
but a brief service at the late residence % of the de- 
ceased, consisting largely of the reading of the 
Scriptures and prayer, greatly relieves these last 
mentioned difficulties. 

12. There is yet another point upon which a 
word may be in place. The friends of the irre- 
ligious will often require or expect the burial ser- 
vice as they have heard it used at other funerals ; 
and to use it as in the case of the righteous would 
seem to imply that there was no difference either 
in their character or their future allotment. Be- 
sides, to speak of the soul of " our deceased bro- 
ther," and to read in the same connection, " blessed 
are the dead which die in the Lord," at the burial 
of the notoriously wicked, is an obvious impropriety. 
This difficulty probably led John Wesley and other 
compilers to leave out altogether that most impres- 
sive part of the service : " Forasmuch as it hath 
pleased Almighty God, &c." But there is a better 
way to obviate this difficulty. If instead of " our 
deceased brother," we use the words "the depart- 
ed" and omit the verse of scripture, "I heard 
a voice, &c," the service may be used at the 
burial of any person, without a violation of consist- 
ency. 

13. It is usually expected that the minister will 
speak to the chief mourners, either before or after 
the services, addressing to them words of sympathy 
or of consolation. It is also well for a minister to 
call upon the bereft family soon after the funeral, 
as he may thus not only help to bear their burden 



168 



THE MINISTER'S 



of grief, but may extend both his acquaintance and 
his usefulness ; and may thus turn his funeral 
services to a good account in bringing sinners to re- 
pentance and enlarging the borders of the kingdom 
of God. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



169 



HYMNS. 



Just as I am. 

1. Just as I am — without one plea, 
But that thy blood was shed for me, 
And that thou bid'st me come to thee- — 

0 Lamb of God, I come ! 

2. Just as I am, and waiting not 
To rid my soul of one dark blot, 

To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
0 Lamb of God, I come ! 

3. Just as I am — though tossed about 
With many a conflict, many a doubt, 
Fightings within, and fears without — 

0 Lamb of God, I come ! 

4. Just as I am — poor, wretched, blind ; 
Sight, riches, healing of the mind, 
Yea, all I need in thee to find — 

0 Lamb of God, I come ! 

5. Just as I am — thou wilt receive, 

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve, 
Because thy promise I believe — 
0 Lamb of God, I come ! 

6. Just as I am — thy love unknown 
Has broken every barrier down ; 
Now, to be thine, yea, thine alone, 

0 Lamb of God, I come ! 

15 



170 



THE MINISTER'S 



2 Christ the Hock of A ges. 

1. Rock of ages ! cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in thee ; 
Let the water and the blood, 
From thy side a healing flood, 
Be of fear and sin the cure ; 

Save from wrath, and make me pure. 

2. Should my tears forever flow, 
Should my zeal no languor know, 
This for sin could not atone ; 
Thou must save, and thou alone : 
In my hand no price I bring, 
Simply to thy cross I cling. 

3. While I draw this fleeting breath, 
When mine eye-lids close in death, 
When I rise to worlds unknown, 
And behold thee on thy throne, 
Rock of ages ! cleft for me, 

Let me hide myself in thee. 



3 The Cleansing Fountain. 

1. There is a fountain filled with blood 

Drawn from Immanuel's veins ; 
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, 
Lose all their guilty stains. 

2. The dying thief rejoic'd to see 

That fountain in his day ; 
And there have I, as vile as he, 
Wash'd all my sins away. 

3. Thou dying Lamb, thy precious blood 

Shall never lose its power, 
Till all the ransom'd church of God 
Be sav'd to sin no more. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



171 



4. E'er since by faith I saw the stream, 

Thy flowing wounds supply, 
Redeeming love has been my theme, 
And shall be, till I die. 

5. Then, in a nobler, sweeter song, 

I'll sing thy power to save. 
When this poor lisping, stamm'ring tongue 
Lies silent in the grave. 



4 The only Refuge. 

1. Father, I stretch my hands to thee ; 

No other help I know : 
If thou withdraw thyself from me, 
Ah ! whither shall I go ? 

2. What did thine only Son endure, 

Before I drew my breath ! 
What pain, what labour, to secure 
My soul from endless death ! 

3. 0 Jesus, could I this believe, 

I now should feel thy power ; 
And all my wants thou wouldst relieve, 
In this accepted hour. 

4. Author of faith ! to thee I lift 

My weary, longing eyes : 
0 let me now receive that gift, — 
My soul without it dies. 

5. Surely thou canst not let me die ; 

0 speak, and I shall live : 
And here I will unwearied lie, 
Till thou thy Spirit give. 



THE MINISTER'S 



6. How would my fainting soul rejoice, 
Could I but see thy face ; 
Now let me hear thy quick'ning voice, 
And taste thy pardoning grace. 



5 The final River. 

1. Os Jordan's stormy banks I stand, 

And cast a wishful eye, 
To Canaan's fair and happy land, 
Where my possessions lie. 

2. There everlasting spring abides, 

And never-with'ring flowers : 
Death, like a narrow sea, divides 
This heavenly land from ours. 

3. There sren'rous fruits that never fail, 

On trees immortal grow : 
There rocks, and hills, and brooks, and vales, 
With milk and honey flow. 

4. No chilling winds nor poisonous breath, 

Can reach that healthful shore ; 
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death, 
Are felt and fear'd no more. 

5. All o'er those wide extended plains, 

Shines one eternal day ; 
There God the Son for ever reigns, 
And scatters night away. 

6. When shall I reach that happy place, 

And be forever blest ? 
When shall I see my Father's face, 
And in his bosom rest ? 



POCKET RITUAL. 



6 Our Friends Above. 

1. Come let us join our friends above, 

That have obtain'd the prize", 
And on the eagle wings of love 

To joys celestial rise : 
Let all the saints terrestrial sing, 

With those to glory gone : 
For all the servants of our King, 

In earth and heaven, are one. 

2. One family we dwell in hirn, 

One church above, beneath, 
Though now divided by the stream, 

The narrow stream of death : 
One army of the living God, 

To his command we bow ; 
Part of his hosts have cross'd the flood, 

And part are crossing now. 

3. Ten thousand to their endless home 

This solemn moment fly ; 
And we are to the margin come, 

And we expect to die : 
His militant embodied host, 

With wishful looks we stand, 
And long to see that happy coast, 

And reach the heavenly land. 

7 The other Shore. 

1. Ox the banks beyond the stream, 
Where the fields are ever green, 
There's no night, but endless day, 
There is where the angels stay. 
There's no sorrow, pain, nor fear, 
There's no parting, farewell tear, 
There's no cloud, no darkness there, 
All is bright, and clear, and fair. 



174 



THE MINISTER'S 



2. Flowers of fadeless beauty there, 
Trees of life with foliage rare, 
Fruits, the most inviting grow, 
There is where I want to go. 
Hark ! I hear the angels sing, 
Heavenly harpers on the wing, 
Throng the air and bid me rise, 
To the music of the skies. 

3. Soon from earth I'll soar away, 
To the realms of endless day, 
Soon I'll join the ransomed throng, 
Sing with them redemption's song. 
Pearly gates stand open wide, 
Just beyond death's chilling tide ; 
There my mansion bright I see, 
There the angels wait for me. 

4. Earthly home, adieu, adieu, 
Earthly friends farewell to you ; 
Softly breathe your last good-bye, 
Jesus calls me, let me die. 
Hallelujah ! Christ has come ! 
Hallelujah ! I'm 'most home ! 
Friends and loved ones weep no more, 
Meet me on the other shore. 



8 No Tear shall be in Heaven. 

1. No tear shall be in heaven, no gathering gloom, 
Shall o'er that glorious landscape ever come ; 
No tears shall fall in sadness o'er those flowers, 
That breathe their fragrance through celestial 

bowers. 

2. No tear shall be in heaven, no sorrows reign, 
No secret anguish, no corporeal pain, 



POCKET RITUAL. 



175 



No shivering limbs, no burning fever there, 
No soul's eclipse, no winter of despair. 

3. No night shall be in heaven, but endless noon, 
No fast declining sun, nor waning moon, 

But there the Lamb shall yield perpetual light, 
Mid pastures green, and waters ever bright. 

4. No tear shall be in heaven, no darkened room, 
No bed of death, or silence of the tomb, 

But breezes ever fresh with love and truth, 
Shall brace the frame with an immortal youth. 



9 Shall we know each other there ? 

1. When we hear the music ringing, 
Thro' the bright, celestial dome, 
When sweet angel voices singing, 
Gladly bid us welcome home, 

To the land of ancient story, 
Where the spirit knows no care, 
In the land of light and glory, 
Shall we know each other there ? 

2. When the holy angels greet us, 
As we go to join their band, 

Shall we know the friends that greet us, 

In the glorious spirit land ? 

Shall we see their bright eyes shining 

On us, as in days of yore ? 

Shall we feel their dear arms twining, 

Fondly round us as before ? 

3. Yes ! my earth-worn soul rejoices, 
And my weary heart grows light, 
For the thrilling angel voices, 
And the angel faces bright, 



176 



THE MINISTER'S 



That shall welcome us in heaven, 
Are the loved of Ions; ago, 
And to thern 'tis kindly given, 
Thus their mortal friends to know. 

4. 0 ! ye weary ones and sad ones, 
Droop not, faint not by the way ! 
Ye shall join the loved and lost ones, 
In the land of perfect day. 
Harp-strings touched by angel fingers, 
Murmur in my raptured ear, 
Ever more their sweet tone lingers, 
We shall know each other there ! 



10 Let me go. 

1. Let me go where saints are going, 

To the mansions of the blest, 
Let me go where my Redeemer 

Has prepared his people's rest : 
I would gain the realms of brightness, 

Where they dwell forevermore ; 
I would join the friends that wait me 

Over on the other shore. 



Chorus. — Let me go, 'tis Jesus calls me, 

Let me gain the realms of day ; 
Bear me over angel pinions, 
Longs my soul to be away. 



2. Let me go where none are weary, 

Where is raised no wail of woe ; 
Let me go and bathe my spirit 

In the raptures angels know ; 
Let me go, for bliss eternal 

Lures my soul away, away, 
And the victor's song triumphant 

Thrills my heart — I cannot stay. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



177 



3. Let me go, why should I tarry ? 

What has earth to bind me here ? 
What, but cares and toils and sorrows, 

What, but death and pain and fear ? 
Let me go, for hopes most cherished 

Blasted round me often lie, 

0 ! I've gathered brightest flowers, 
But to see them fade and die. 

4. Let me go where tears and sighing 

Are forevermore unknown ; 
Where the joyous songs of glory 

Call me to a happier home ; 
Let me go. I'd cease this dying, 

I would gain life's fairer plains, 
Let me join the myriad harpers, 

Let me chant their rapturous strains. 

5. Let me go, there is a glory 

That my soul hath longed to know ; 

1 am thirsting for the waters 

That from crystal fountains flow ; 
There is where the angels tarry, 

There the saved forever throng. 
Where the brightness wearies never, 

There I'll sing redemption's song. 

6. Let me go, 0 speed my journey, 

Saints and angels lure away, 
0 ! I almost feel the raptures 

That belong to endless day : 
Yes, methinks I hear the singing 

That is only heard above ; 
Let me go, 0 speed my going, 

Let me go where all is love. 

Chorus. — Let me go, 'tis Jesus calls me, &c. 



178 



THE MINISTER'S 



11 Our Buried Friends can we Forget P 

1. Our buried friends can we forget, 

Although, they've passed death's gloomy river? 
They live within our memory yet, 

And in our love must live for ever. 
And, though they've gone awhile before, 

To join the ransomed hosts in heaven, 
Our hearts will love them more and more, 

Till earthly chains at last be riven. 

2. I heard them bid the world adieu : 

I saw them on the rolling billow : 
Their far-off home appeared in view, 

While yet they pressed a dying pillow. 
I heard the parting pilgrim tell, 

While passing Jordan's lonely river, — 
Adieu to earth, — now all is well, — 

Now all is well with me for ever. 

3. Oh ! how I long to join their wing. 

And range their fields of blooming flowers : 
Come, holy watchers, come and bring 

A mourner to your blissful bowers. 
I'd speed with rapture on my way, 

Nor would I pause at Jordan's river : 
With songs I'd enter endless clay, 

And live with my loved friends for ever. 



12 Hope in Death. 

1. Death shall not destroy my comfort, 

Christ shall guide me through the gloom ; 
Down he'll send some heavenly convoy, 
To convey my spirit home. 

2. Jordan's streams shall ne'er o'erflow me 

While my Saviour's by my side : 



POCKET RITUAL. 



Canaan, Canaan lies before me, 
Rise and cross the swelling tide. 

3. See the happy spirits waiting 

On the banks beyond the stream, 
Sweet responses still repeating — 
Jesus, Jesus is their theme : 

4. See, they whisper ! hark, they call me, 

Sister spirit, come away ! 
Lo, I come ! earth can't contain me ! 
Hail, ye realms of endless day ! 

0 

5. Worlds of light and crowns of glory, 

Far above yon azure sky, 
Though by faith I now explore ye, 
I'll enjoy you soon on high ; 

6. Soon I'll gain a full possession, 

Faith and hope for ever cease, 
Lost in love's exhaustless ocean, 

Love ! that sweetest, brightest grace. 



13 Who are these in bright Array ? 

1. Who are these in bright array ? 

This exulting, happy throng ; 
Round the altar night and day, 

Hymning one triumphant song ? 
" Worthy is the Lamb, once slain, 

Blessing, honor, glory, power, 
Wisdom, riches to obtain, 

New dominion every hour." 

2. These through fiery trials trod : 

These from great affliction came ; 
Now, before the throne of God, 
Sealed with his almighty name : 



180 



THE iMIXISTER's 



Clad in raiment pure and white, 
Victor-palms in every hand : 

Through their great Redeemer's might, 
More than conquerors they stand. 

3. Hunger, thirst, disease unknown, 

On immortal fruits they feed : 
Them the Lamb, amidst the throne, 

Shall to living fountains lead : 
Joy and gladness banish sighs : 

Perfect love dispels all fears ; 
And for ever from their eyes, 

God shall wipe away their tears. 

14 Palms of Glory. 

1. Palms of glory, raiment bright, 

Crowns that never fade away. 
Gird and deck the saints in light : 

Priests, and kings, and conquerors, they. 

Yet the conquerors bring their palms 
To the Lamb amid the throne ; 

And proclaim, in joyful psalms, 
Victory through his cross alone. 

2. Kings for harps their crowns resign, 

Crying, as they strike the chords — 
" Take the kingdom ; it is thine, 

Kino; of kings, and Lord of lords." 

Round the altar priests confess, 
If their robes are white as snow, 

'Twas their Saviour's righteousness, 
And his blood that made them so. 

8. Who are these ? On earth they dwelt, 
Sinners once of Adam's race; 



POCKET RITUAL. 



Guilt and fear, and suffering felt, 
But were saved by sovereign grace. 

They were mortal, too, like us ; 

Ah ! when we, like them, shall die, 
May our souls, translated thus, 

Triumph, reign, and shine, on high ! 



15 The final Rest. 

1. When the world my heart is rending, 

With its heaviest storm of care, 
My glad heart to God ascending, 

Finds a refuge from despair. 
There's a hand of mercy near me, 

Though the waves of trouble roar ; 
There's an hour of rest to cheer me, 

When the toils of life are o'er. 



2. Gently. Lord, 0 gently lead us, 

Through this lonely vale of tears ; 
Through the changes thou'st decreed 

Till our last great change appears : 
When temptation's darts assail us, 

When in devious paths we stray, 
Let thy goodness never fail us. 

Lead us in thy perfect way. 

3. In the hour of pain and anguish, 

In the hour when death draws near 
Suffer not our hearts to languish, 

Suffer not our souls to fear : 
And when mortal life is ended, 

May we meet among the blest, 
And by all thy saints attended, - 

Ever in thy bosom rest. 

16 



182 the minister's 

4. Oli ! to rest in peace forever, 

Joined with happy souls above, 
Where no foe my heart can sever 

From the Saviour that I love : 
This the hope that shall sustain me, 

Till life's pilgrimage be past, 
Fears may vex, and troubles pain me, 

I shall reach my home at last. 



1© Sweet Hour of Prayer. 

1. Sweet hour of prayer ! sweet hour of prayer ! 
That calls me from a world of care, 

And bids me at my Father's throne 
Make all my wants and wishes known, 
In seasons of distress and grief, 
My soul has often found relief ; 
And oft escaped the tempter's snare, 
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer ! 

2. Sweet hour of prayer ! sweet hour of prayer ! 
Thy wings shall my petition bear, 

To Him whose truth and faithfulness, 
Engage the waiting soul to bless ; 
And since he bids me seek his face, 
Believe his word and trust his grace, 
I'll cast on him my every care, 
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer ! 

3. Sweet hour of prayer ! sweet hour of prayer ! 
May I thy consolation share ; 

Till, from Mount Pisgah's lofty height, 
I view my home and take my flight : 
This robe of flesh I'll drop, and rise 
To seize the everlasting prize ; 
And shout, while passing through the air, 
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer ! 



POCKET RITUAL. 



183 



17 River of Death. 

1. River of death, thy stream I see • 
Between the bright city of rest and me ; 
Fearless thy sable surge I'll brave, 

For sweet is the prospect beyond thy wave. 

Chorus. — Waft me, oh waft me safely o'er, 

And land me, dear Saviour, on Ca- 
naan's shore. 

2. Why should I fear to stem thy tide, 

With him who has loved me as guard and guide ? 
Wisdom and power control thy flood, 
While faith says my passage was paid with 
blood. 

Chorus. — Waft me, &c. 

3. What is it gilds thy darksome foam ? 

'Tis light shining forth from my happy home. 
Music that thrills my soul to hear, 
Seems floating me over thy surface drear. 

Chorus. — Waft me, &c. 

4. Help me ! I feel the waters rise, 

Yet visions of glory still glad my eyes, 
Saviour, I come — I soon shall be 
Among the blest "purchase of Cavalry. 

Chorus. — Waft me, &c. 



18 I would not Live Alway. 

1. I would not live alway, I ask not to stay, 

Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way; 
The few lucid mornings that dawn on us here, 
Are enough for life's woes, full enough for its 
cheer. 



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THE MINISTER'S 



2. I would not live alway : no, welcome the tomb ! 
Since Jesus hath lain there, I dread not its 

gloom ; 

There sweet be my rest, till he bid me arise 
To hail him in triumph descending the skies. 
0 

3. Who, who would live alway, away from his God, 
Away from yon heaven, that blissful abode, 
Where the rivers of pleasure flow o'er the bright 

plains, 

And the noontide of glory eternally reigns ; 

4. Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet, 
Their Saviour and brethren transported to greet; 
While the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll, 
And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the 

soul ? 



19 Shed not a Tear. 

1. Shed not a tear o'er your friend's early bier — 

When I am gone — when I am gone — 
Smile when the slow-tolling bell you shall hear, 

When I am gone — I am gone. 
Weep not for me when you stand round my 
grave : 

Think who has died his beloved to save : 
Think of the crown all the ransomed shall have, 
When I am gone — I am gone. 

2. Plant ye a tree which may wave over me — 

When I am gone — when I am gone — 
Sing ye a song when my grave ye shall see : 

When I am gone — I am gone — 
Come at the close of a bright summer's day : 
Come when the sun sheds his last lingering ray ; 
Come and rejoice that I thus passed away — 

When I am gone — I am gone. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



185 



20 Weep not around my Bier. 

1. Weep not around my bier, 

When I am dead, 
Nor drop the friendly tear 

Upon my head. 
The cold and lifeless clay 

Heeds not thy sigh — 
Nor can it wipe the tear, 

That dims thine eye. 

2. Look not upon my form, 

When I am gone ; 
But leave me in my shroud, 

Cold and alone. 
Lift not the coffin lid, 

To say farewell — farewell, 
Nor start when thou shalt hear 

My funeral knell. 

3. Pass quickly by my grave, 

When thou art near, 
Lest thou shouldst sigh for me, 

Or drop a tear. 
And weep not o'er the mound, 

Where I shall rest — shall rest, 
Nor strew wild flowers around, 

Upon my breast. 

4. The soul that thou hast loved 

Will not be there, 
It will have plumed its wings, 

And soared afar. 
Then weep not o'er my change, 

When I am free — am free, 
When I've left my cell and gained 
My liberty. 
16 * 



186 



THE MINISTER'S 



5. Afar in yonder sky, 

I'll find my home, 
And wait in realms of light 

For thee to come. 
Call me not back to earth, 

To leave my crown — my crown, 
I have fought through sin and death, 

My victory's won. 



21 Forever with the Lord. 

• 1. " Forever with the Lord !" 

Amen ! so let it be ; 
Life for the dead is in that word, 

'Tis immortality. 
Here in the body pent, 

Absent from him I roam ; 
Yet nightly pitch my moving tent, 

A day's march nearer home, 

2. My Father's house on high, 

Home of my soul, how near 
At times, to faith's aspiring eye, 

Thy golden gates appear ! 
Ah, then my spirit faints, 

To reach the land I love ; 
The bright inheritance of saints, 

Jerusalem above. 

3. Yet doubts still intervene, 

And all my comfort flies ; 
Like Noah's dove I flit between 

Rough seas and stormy skies. 
Anon the clouds depart, 

The winds and waters cease ; 
While sweetly o'er my gladdened heart 

Expands the bow of peace. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



187 



4. " For ever with the Lord !" 

Father, if 'tis thy will, 
The promise of that faithful word, 

E'en here to rne fulfill. 
So, when my latest breath 

Shall rend the vail in twain, 
By death I shall escape from death, 

And life eternal gain. 



5. Knowing " as I am known," 
How shall I love that word, 
And oft repeat before the throne, 
" For ever with the Lord !" 



25S A Feiv more Bays. 

1. A FEW more days on earth to spend, 
And all my toils and cares shall end ; 
Then I shall see my God and Friend, 

And praise his name on high. 
There's no more sighs, and no more tears, 
There's no more pains, and no more fears, 
But God and Christ and heaven appears 

L^nto the ravished eye. 



2. Then, 0 my soul, despond no more, 
The storm of life will soon be o'er, 
And I shall find the peaceful shore 

Of everlasting rest, 
Oh happy day ! 0 joyful hour. 
When freed from earth my soul shall tower 
Beyond the reach of Satan's power, 

To be for ever blest. 



188 



THE MINISTER'S 



3. My soul anticipates the day 
I'd joyfully the call obey, 

Which summons my free soul away 

To seats prepared above. 
There I shall see my Father's face, 
And dwell in his beloved embrace, 
And taste the fullness of his grace, 

And sing redeeming love. 

4. Though dire afflictions press me sore, 
And death's black billows roll before, 
Yet still, by faith, I see the shore 

Beyond the swelling flood. 
The heavenly Canaan, sweet and fair, 
Before my ravished eyes appear ; 
It makes me almost think I'm there, 

In yonder bright abode. 

5. To earthly cares I'd say farewell, 
And triumph over death and hell, 
And go where saints and angels dwell, 

To praise the eternal Three. 
I'll join with them who're gone before, 
Who sing and shout, their sufferings o'er, 
Where pain and parting are no more 

To all eternity. 

6. Adieu, ye scenes of noise and show, 
And all this region here below, 

Where nought but disappointments grow, 

A better world's in view. 
My Saviour calls, I haste away, 
I would not here for ever stay ; 
Hail ! ye bright realms of endless day, 

Vain world, once more, adieu. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



189 



23 The Pilgrim 's Home. 

1. We have heard from that bright, that holy land, 

We have heard and our hearts are glad, 
For we are a lonely pilgrim band, 

We're weary, worn, and sad. 
They tell us that souls have a dwelling there, 

No longer are homeless ones, 
And they say that the goodly land is fair, 

Where life's pure river runs. 

2. They say green fields are waving there. 

Which never a blight shall know, 
And the heavenly plains are blooming fair, 

And the roses of Sharon grow. 
There are lovely birds in bowers green, 

Their songs are blithe and sweet, 
Their warblings gushing ever new, 

The angels' harpings greet. 

3. We have heard of the palms, the robes, the 

crowns, 

Of the silvery bands in white, 
Of the city fair with its golden gates, 

All radiant with light. 
We have heard of the angels there, and saints, 

With their harps of gold how they sing, 
And the mount with the fruitful tree of life, 

And the leaves that healing bring. 

4. The King of that country, he is fair, 

He's the light and the joy of the place, 
In his beauty we shall behold him there, 

And bask in his smiling face. 
We'll be there, we'll be there, in a little while, 

And we'll join with the pure and the blest, 
We'll have the palms, the robes, the crowns, 

And we'll be for ever at rest. 



190 



THE MINISTER'S 



24 The Celestial Eaven. 

1. When for eternal worlds we steer, 
And seas are calm, and skies are clear, 
And faith in lively exercise, 

And distant hills of Canaan rise, 
The soul for joy then claps her wings, 
And loud her lovely sonnet sings, 
Vain world, adieu ! 

2. With cheerful hope her eyes explore 
Each land-mark on the distant shore ; 
The trees of life, the pastures green, 
The golden streets, the crystal stream ; 
Again for joy she claps her wings, 
And loud her lovely sonnet sings, 

Vain world, adieu ! 

3. The nearer still she draws to land, 
More eager all her powers expand ; 
With steady helm, and free bent sail, 
Her anchor drops within the vail ; 
Again for joy she claps her wings, 
And her celestial sonnet sings, 
Glory to God. 

25 Come unto Me. 

1. Come unto me, when shadows darkly gather, 

When the sad heart is weary and distressed, 
Seeking full comfort from your heav'nly Father, 
Come unto me and I will give you rest. 

2. Ye who have mourned when the spring flowers 

were taken, 
When the ripe fruit fell richly to the ground ; 
When the loved slept, in brighter homes to waken, 
Where their pale brows with spirit wreaths are 

crowned. 



POCKET RITUAL. 



191 



3. Large are the mansions in thy Father's dwell- 
ing* 

Glad are the homes that sorrows never dim ; 
Sweet are the harps in holy music swelling, 
Soft are the tones which raise the heav'nly 
hymn. 



4. There, like an Eden, blossoming in gladness, 
Blooms the fair flowers, the earth too rudely 
pressed — 

Come unto me, all ye who droop in sadness, 
Come unto me, and I will give you rest. 



26 Triumph. 

1. Joyfully, joyfully onward I move, 

Bound for the land of bright spirits above, 
" Angelic choristers, sing as I come, 
Joyfully, joyfully, haste to thy home." 
Soon, with my pilgrimage ended below, 
Home to the land of bright spirits I go, 
Pilgrim and stranger no more shall I roam, 
Joyfully, joyfully, resting at home. 



2. Friends fondly cherished have passed on before, 
Waiting, they watch me approaching the shore ; 
Singing to cheer me through death's chilling 
gloom, 

" Joyfully, joyfully haste to thy home." 

Sounds of sweet melody fall on my ear ; 

Harps of the blessed,, your voices I hear ! 

Rings with the harmony heaven's high dome, 
" Joyfully, joyfully haste to thy home." 



192 the minister's pocket ritual^ 



3. Death, with thy weapons of war lay nie low, 
Strike, king of terrors, I fear not the blow; 

Jesus hath broken the bars of the tomb : 

Joyfully, joyfully will I go home. 
Bright will the morn of eternity dawn, 
Death shall be banished, his scepter be gone 

Joyfully then, shall I witness his doom ; 

Joyfully, joyfully, safely at home. 

27 The Departure. 

1. Deathless spirit, now arise ! 
Soar, thou native of the skies ! 
Pearl of price, by Jesus bought, 
To his glorious likeness wrought, 
Go, his triumphs to adorn, 
Born of God, to God return. 

2. Shudder not to pass the stream, 
Venture all thy care on him, 
Him, whose dying love and power 
Stilled its tossing, hushed its roar. 
Safe in the expanded wave, 
Gentle as a summer's eve ; 

Not one object of his care, 
Ever suffered shipwreck there. 

3. See the haven full in view, 

Love divine shall bear thee through ; 

Trust to that propitious gale, 

"Weigh thy anchor, spread thj sail ! 

Saints in glory perfect made, 

Wait thy passage through the shade : 

Ardent for thy coming o'er, 

See they throng the blissful shore ! 



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